The Debutante Ball
by sizzleberrylicious
Summary: Hermione and Draco are forced to plan the 7th year Debutante Ball together as Head Girl and Boy. Trouble arises in the form of a young Zabini boy.. Need I say more? Dramione
1. Chapter 1

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter One

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione stared on in shock. "But, Professor Dumbledore, sir, with all due respect, Malfoy and I can't possibly plan the Debutante Ball together!"

Dumbledore held a bemused look on his old, wrinkled features. "Miss Granger, you and Mister Malfoy are Head Girl and Head Boy; it is part of your duty to plan the Debutante Ball together. It's simply a Hogwarts tradition."

"But, Professor," Hermione spluttered helplessly.

"Besides, Miss Granger," Dumbledore continued. "Mister Malfoy seems to have no problem with your situation."

Hermione glanced towards Draco, who was seated loose-limbedly on the chair next to hers, and glared, fuming. She hated how he could seems so aloof and uncaring in a situation like theirs. Hermione had jumped out of her seat the moment Dumbledore informed them of their duty as Ball planners. She had babbled on fruitlessly and paced the circular office like an idiot whilst Draco had been seated comfortably all along, watching her amusing display with his signature smirk.

_It's any wonder how Dumbledore named him Head Boy, with the exception of his grades_, Hermione thought bitterly as she seated herself and grabbed a handful of sherbet lemons from the inviting crystal container.

"Mister Malfoy," Dumbledore turned to face him. "Do you have any complaints?"

_Bloody old dingbat_, Draco thought.

"Of course not, Professor," Draco smirked, watching Hermione fume out of the corner of his eye. He turned to face her, his steely silvery grey eyes penetrating her soft chocolate ones. "Unless, of course, Granger here has anything else to say?"

Hermione felt her heart skip a beat as Draco stared her down. She ignored it and lifted her chin with an indignant huff, glaring back at him.

"Of course not, Professor."

x x x x x x x x x x

"Why didn't you put up a fight back there?!" Hermione practically shrieked in his ear as they made their way back to the Heads Commons.

Draco rolled his eyes. "What did you want me to do, punch the old coot? 'Cause I don't think that would've helped our case. Besides, your ranting should've given him a bad enough headache, no?"

Hermione quickened her pace to catch up with him. Even at his leisurely stride, he was much further ahead of her. Hermione cursed those long, muscular -

WHAT?!!

"Dumbledore is not an old coot," Hermione said, hotly, brushing off her disturbing thoughts. Draco snorted.

"He's one of the most powerful wizards of all time," she continued. "He's in the Order of Merlin, First Class, and a Grand Sorcerer. He's also a Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation -"

"Merlin's beard, Granger, would you just shut up?!" Draco said, annoyed. "I don't need a bloody lecture on the old wanker's extra curricular activities!"

Hermione glared daggers at him as they approached a large oil painting of a prince and princess holding hands.

"Password, sweetheart?" the princess asked them.

"Sceliphicus," Hermione snapped. The princess turned up her nose at them.

"No need to be harsh," she muttered as the portrait swung forward and Hermione and Draco clambered through. Well, Hermione clambered. Draco glided.

Hermione had a most excellent view of Draco's rear end as she entered closely behind him, but brushed any naughty thoughts out of her head.

By the time Hermione entered the luxuriously-decorated Head Commons, Draco was already sprawled out on one of the plush couches. Hermione stormed over to him, not willing to give up a good argument.

"Really, Malfoy, why didn't you say anything?"

Draco gave her a slow smirk and almost laughed out loud when he caught her blush. "Because it'd be fun, Granger."

With that, he gave her a wink and sauntered off to his Head Boy room, leaving a confused tomato-faced Hermione Granger behind.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione let herself drop back onto a cushioned sofa and stared with wide eyes at the large mahagony door to the Head Boy quarters.

_Did Draco Malfoy just wink at me?!!_

"Good Lord, I'm going mad," Hermione muttered, letting her head fall back.

Suddenly, the portrait to the Head Commons swung open and a smirking Ginny Weasley strolled over to where Hermione sat and plonked herself down next to her.

"I was right, wasn't I?"

"Oh, shut up, Gin."

"YES!! So you ARE going to plan the Ball with Draco 'Fine Ass' Malfoy, then?"

"Ginny!" Hermione snapped, good-naturedly. "Mind your language!"

Ginny's smirk widened. "You do think Draco has a fine ass, don't you?"

Hermione felt a blush overtake her cheeks as she thought of her earlier predicament entering the Head Commons. "No, of course not, Ginny."

"'Mione, I'm not stupid! You're blushing like some kind of tomato!" Ginny cried, shrilly, grinning. Hermione stole a quick glance at the Head Boy room door.

"Shh, Gin, or he'll hear you and.. accuse stuff," Hermione finished lamely, mentally kicking herself. She was usually so full of quick, witty comebacks, but all of them seemed to have spiralled out of her mind the moment Ginny mentioned Draco's ass.

"Well, I don't think there's much to accuse," Ginny stated, twirling a lock of her straight red hair around her slender finger. "Anyway, so what's your theme for the Debutante Ball? Surely you've discussed it with Fine Ass already."

"Merlin, Ginny, would you please stop that?" Hermione grimaced. "And no, I haven't discussed anything related to the additional Head duties with Malfoy yet."

Ginny sighed. "Well, then, seeing as there's no dosh on the Ball, fill me in on Fine Ass. How did he react to the 'additional Head duties'?"

"I swear, Gin, I'm going to hex you into oblivion if you don't stop calling him Fine Ass-"

"Fine Ass?" Draco interrupted, leaning casually against his Head Boy door. Hermione gasped. How did he leave his room so silently and how much of their conversation had he heard? He smirked at Ginny, who had suddenly turned the same shade of red as her hair. "I'm flattered by your keen observation of my rear quarters, Miss Weasley, but it would help considerably if you kept your eyes to yourself," he winked at her. Ginny's eyes widened as she scrambled out of her seat.

"Uhm, I'll be seeing you, Hermione," she garbled, making her way to the portrait hole. "I've got some.. uhm.. homework.. essays.. uhm.. see you!"

Draco snickered lightly at Ginny's frazzled escape before dropping himself elegantly into the seat opposite Hermione.

"So, Granger. The She-Weasel thinks I have a scrumptious ass? That's nice of her for noticing."

"Oh, sod off, Malfoy," Hermione snapped, folding her arms across her chest and turning to face the dying embers in the fireplace.

"How did she get in here anyway?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him and nearly laughed out loud. _Draco Malfoy? Attempting civil conversation with me, Hermione Granger? This is a laugh_.

"I gave her the password, of course. Why, Malfoy, do you have a problem with it?"

"Of course not, Granger. Just thought you'd like to know that I gave Zabini the password, too."

Hermione glared at him and opened her mouth to snap at him, but then realised his case was on the same level as hers. She grudgingly shut her mouth and turned back to the fireplace.

"His reason for wanting the password, of course, is to be here in the wee hours of the morning, waiting for you to exit the bathroom in a teeny weeny-"

"UGH!" Hermione cried as she flung herself off the couch and stormed into her room.

"I love it when she does that," Draco smirked to himself after Hermione entered her room and slammed the door behind her.

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter, nor do I retrieve any reward of any kind in writing this piece of fiction, except for my darling reviews. So go shove your lawyers up your asses, will you?

Author's note: I'm really sorry that this chapter is short, but I've got more plans for the next chapter, I promise. And if you didn't already notice, I'm not following JKR's diminishing of Albus Dumbledore, 'cause he's needed. Period. Just for your information, I've already gotten the whole plot fixed out, it's just the writing bit that's incomplete. I'll do my best to try and update as often as I can, but the new school year's less than a week away, so I may be restricted off my laptop after January the third if I'm not careful. Ttfn, 'sizzleberrylicious. ♥


	2. Chapter 2

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Two

x x x x x x x x x x

"Come on, Malfoy, surely you've got at least one idea in that inflated head of yours," Hermione cried out, irritably, as she paced the Head Commons. Dumbledore had instructed them to begin planning immediately, and Hermione had put together an impromptu meeting to discuss the Ball.

Draco looked up lazily from his seat on the sofa. "You seem to be perfectly capable of planning the Ball yourself, Granger."

Hermione threw her hands up in frustration, letting her papers flutter down to form a heap around her feet. She glared at him icily. "You are a complete ass, Ferret Boy."

"Merlin," Draco muttered under his breath. He was turned into a ferret - a rather cute ferret, of course - just once and everyone goes about sticking it up his ass. "It was a compliment, Granger. Oh, wait, I get it now. You're not used to being on the receiving end of compliments, are you?"

Hermione, who had picked up all her papers, spun on her heels to face him. "At least I'm not the one used to be on the receiving end of Unforgivables, namely cast by my own father!" she spat back, but immediately regretted it, her hand flying up to her mouth in horror. Draco's face darkened, and Hermione caught a flash of - hurt? - in his eyes before his brilliant silver orbs changed to a stormy grey.

"Do NOT bring my father into this, Mudblood," Draco snarled, jumping out of his seat and advancing on her. Hermione dropped her papers all over again and took a step back, terrified. In two swift strides, he was invading on her personal space.

Hermione thought to herself, _Shit, he must be seriously mad. He hasn't called me Mudblood in ages. Something about his father must have scarred him and set him off.._

She began to splutter, "I-I'm sorry, Malfoy, I didn't m-mean to-"

"Didn't mean to what, Mudblood?" Draco said, his voice a deadly quiet. His eyes flashed mere inches away from hers and she shrunk back, slightly. Hermione opened her mouth to say something, anything, but was cut off by Draco.

"You know nothing of the pain, of the betrayal I felt when Father placed the Crucio curse on me," Draco said, quietly, through clenched teeth. "Not even a flicker of regret in the old bastard's eyes."

Hermione cowered when Draco grabbed her shoulders roughly and pulled her closer to him until their noses were just a hair's breadth apart. "N-no, Malfoy, I h-haven't felt that kind of t-torture before."

She let out a strangled yelp as Draco's grip on her shoulders tightened. She felt tears sting her eyes at the pain. "Please.. Draco, you're hurting me!"

Draco released her with a look of pure shock plastered over his handsome features. She had called him Draco! In all seven years of their acquaintance, Hermione had never adressed him by his first name. "I'm sorry, Granger."

Hermione watched in awe as his eyes turned to a soft milky grey. _What a beautiful colour_, she thought to herself. But just a split second later, his eyes transformed back to their stormy sea of silver and grey.

"Say nothing of my father, Granger," he warned her in his deadly quiet tone. In a flash, Draco turned on his heels and strode out the portrait hole, his midnight black cloak billowing behind him in a very Snape-like fashion.

x x x x x x x x x x

"'Mione, are you alright?" Ron asked her with concern etched over his usually smiling face. Hermione smiled at him.

"Of course, why shouldn't I be?"

"Well, for one, you were looking rather upset," chimed in Harry, rubbing the small of Hermione's back. "Are you sure you're alright? Nothing, or no one's, bothering you?"

Hermione smiled at her friend's concern. "Yes, Harry, I'm perfectly fine."

"Well, if you say so, 'Mione," Ron gave a shrug before continuing to shove mouthful after mouthful of fried chicken and mash down his throat. Most people would've found that display of hunger disgusting and revolting, but Hermione and Harry knew Ron well enough to brush it aside.

Hermione had been thinking of her earlier fight with Draco, and felt a stab of regret for making him remember his dreadful past. All Hermione knew of Lucius Malfoy was that he punished Draco often with bouts of Unforgivables, he was Lord Voldemort's pet Death Eater, and he had died shortly after escaping and returning home from Azkaban.

"I think I'm going to go to the library and finish up my extra credit essay for Potions," Hermione decided out loud as she pushed her chair back. She shouldered her book bag and made her way out of the Great Hall.

"But, 'Mione, you hardly ate anything!" Ron cried, holding up his half-eaten piece of chicken, bewildered. Harry patted his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Ron, just bring her something later."

x x x x x x x x x x

Draco watched as Hermione hastily left the Great Hall. He hadn't touched the food on his gleaming gold platter; his mind kept being flooded with images of Hermione, scared as Draco rough-handled her. He couldn't concentrate on eating as he kept seeing Hermione's hurt expression over and over again. _"Please.. Draco, you're hurting me!"_

"You okay, Malfoy?" came the deep voice of Goyle. Draco waved him off, putting on an emotionless facade.

"I'm fine, Goyle, now leave me be," Draco snapped at his bulky friend. Goyle shot him a puzzled look before turning back to Crabbe. The two of them exchanged looks of befuddlement before shrugging it off.

"I'm going to library to clear my thoughts," Draco announced to no one in particular. He got out of his seat and walked out of the Great Hall, rolling his eyes at the high-pitched giggles from several third year Hufflepuffs.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione set the thick volume down on an unoccupied table and pulled up a chair, huffing. The book was yellow, dusty, and extremely heavy, but it was the only reading material Hermione could find that had any information on the long-extinct Siberian Snorfs, which had magical healing properties in it's pure white blood. Hermione conjured up a mug of steaming hot cocoa and started writing.

x x x x x x x x x x

Draco strode into the library and made his way to the back of the library, ignoring the piercing glare of Madam Pince. He grabbed a random book of the shelf and sat himself down at one of the nearby tables, propping his feet up on the table. The slim novel in his hands was a book titled 'The A-Z On Hippogriffs'. Draco rolled his eyes, reminiscing his third year when Buckbeak the Hippogriff had attacked him. Hermione had given him an endless lecture, and days later, had slapped him.

"The nerve of that woman," Draco muttered to himself, tossing the book onto the table. "No one should treat a Malfoy with such disrespect."

But the strange thing was, Draco had acquired a new-found respect for the bookish know-it-all for having the courage to slap him in the first place. No one, with the exception of his damned father, had struck him before. _That Granger has more guts than I thought_.

Draco glanced around the room at the few scattered students studying, when something large and profoundly.. _bushy_ caught his eye. _Granger!_

Her head was bent over an unusually large volume, her hand whipping across the paper next to it as she took down notes. She obviously hadn't noticed him seated several tables infront of her.

"No doubt some form of extra credit," Draco sneered to himself. Thankfully for him, there weren't many students within hearing range, so there was a slim chance of anyone finding out that the esteemed Sex God Draco Malfoy was mad and his reputation spiralling down the drain. "Granger's always looking for some way to suck up to the teachers."

Draco decided to study her, then and there. _She has very delicate features.. Something like Mother's, except softer in a more youthful stance_, Draco found himself thinking. _Her hair is still as bushy as last time, but not as unruly. It actually looks good on her petite frame.. I wonder why I never noticed, her lips are so perfect - Hell, I did not just think of Granger's perfect lips. Agh, shit!!_

"Bloody Merlin," Draco hissed, dumbfounded. "I called Granger's lips perfect."

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: Read the one in the first chapter.

Author's note: In response to Sam's review, well, the girls of Hogwarts are coming out, of course. Dumbledore saw 17 as a coming-out age, and he definitely saw them with a high society background, so this Ball is strictly for 7th year students only. I do know what the Debutante Ball is for, I just hope that you get my point. I hope that answers your question! Thanks to my lovely reviewers, I really appreciate you taking your time to review this story. Biggest thanks to **lil'grass-stain07**, **Sam**, and **lilmizbry13**. You guys seriously make my day! The next chapter's coming out soon. I'm trying to release a chapter every one to two days, in the least. Oh, and thanks so much to the reviewers of His Thoughts **Shego-Lipsky**, **Gueneviere**, **Death Eater Malfoy**, and **Captain of L'Emeraude**!! You guys rock. I might consider writing a sequel / continuing the one-shot, but maybe only after I finish The Debutante Ball and Dangerous Liaisons, a story I plan to have out by the end of next week. Ttfn, 'sizzleberrylicious. ♥


	3. Chapter 3

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Three

x x x x x x x x x x

"Draco, what's wrong?" came the concerned voice of Pansy Parkinson. Several days have passed since Draco's mortifying thought on Granger's 'perfect lips', and some strange thoughts about the best friend of the Boy Who Just Wouldn't Die kept intruding his thoughts and mussing up his brain. Draco snapped out of his reverie and let out a tired sigh. He had been having the most disturbing flashbacks of his father's cruel punishments towards him. He hated to think what would have become of him had he confronted his father with the idea of him not wanting to become a Death Eater and succeeding Lord Voldemort. Thankfully for him, the old bastard was dead.

"Nothing, Pans," Draco turned to face her, giving his best friend a reassuring smile. "I'm just tired, that's all. All this Head business being dumped on my shoulders is wearing me out."

Pansy had changed over the past several years. Instead of the whining, simpering, spoilt little brat, she had evolved into a mature, confident young woman. Draco had begun to trust her with his deepest secrets, and in his mind had named her his trusted confidante.

"I know you better than that, Draco Malfoy," Pansy gave him a look.

"Really, Pans, it's nothing. You should've heard Granger going on and on about the Debutante Ball. It was as if she was the star attraction or something."

Pansy frowned. "I can tell something's bothering you, Draco. What is it? I might be able to help."

Draco lowered his defenses and sighed. "Very well, Pans, if you insist. I've been having strange feelings lately.."

Pansy smiled knowingly. "Strange feelings? For a certain.. Gryffindor Head Girl, perhaps?"

Draco's eyes widened considerably. "H-how did you know?" he stuttered, caught off guard by Pansy's knowledge on his little crush.

"I'm not blind, Draco, I can see how you always stare at her from across the room."

Draco's head whipped around to glance at the other Slytherins. They were busy smirking amongst themselves and eating, so he took it that no one oveheard their little conversation.

"Don't worry, Draco, I believe no one else knows about it," Pansy reassured him. Draco let out a sigh of relief. Sometimes, he swore Pansy knew exactly what he was thinking.

"What do you think I should do, Pans?" Draco asked, lowering his voice.

"Well, I warn you first, Gryffindors are very possesive of their own kind, and the Slytherins will either diminish you or congratulate you, depending on the situation. But I think you should do whatever you see fit. Go and proclaim your undying love for her, or send her two hundred boxes of chocolates, whatever you think would get across the message clearly.. On second thought, after so many years of mistreating her, she might refuse to believe your sudden confession, so maybe you should take it slow. Treat her nicely and let her get to know you, maybe? Just know that whatever you choose to do, you've got my full support."

Draco felt like leaping out of his seat and hugging Pansy, not caring what rumours would spread around the school. But that wouldn't be a very Malfoy-like thing to do, and he had to preserve his reputation as best as he could before the big confession, so he decided on giving her a quick smile, something she later stated was so rare from the likes of Draco Malfoy that he felt rather insulted.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat. She, Harry, and Ron were jotting down Charms notes, and she was having slight trouble understanding Professor Flitwick's haphazard scrawl. She felt a burning in her right cheek, a sign that someone was staring at her. Hermione glanced to her left to find Draco staring at her with fierce intensity from the other side of the classroom. She furrowed her brow in confusion as she turned back to her notes.

"Hermione," muttered a giggling Lavander from the seat behind her. Hermione turned around. "Draco Malfoy keeps staring at you!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Really, Lavander, I'm sure he's just staring at someone else," she stated before facing the front of the class again. Hermione bit down on her lip to resist the temptation to glance at Draco again. After several moments, Hermione gave in to her urge and sneaked a glance at the blond Slytherin, only to find him still locked in a gaze at her. Hermione's eyes widened as she quickly faced the front of the class again. _Why on Earth is Draco Malfoy staring at me like that?_ _I even noticed him staring at me in the library yesterday.. How strange._

Suddenly, the school bell rang loudly, signalling the end of class. Professor Flitwick scurried around his desk to face the class as they packed up their papers and quills, eager to have their lunch. "Now, class, I want all of you to read up on 'Charming The Uncharmed' and answer the sheet of questions that come with it. All question sheets must be handed up during our next lesson. Now, off you go!" the tiny professor cried over the hustle and bustle.

Hermione waited outside the classroom for Harry and Ron to catch up. They were still busy stuffing their books into their bags, and Hermione was losing her patience. The door opened and Hermione turned with a relieved smile plastered over her face, but her smile dropped when she saw who it was.

"So happy to see me, Granger?" drawled Draco as he glided out of the classroom and came to a halt mere inches away from Hermione. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"In your dreams, Malfoy," Hermione rolled her eyes. Without waiting for Harry and Ron, she rushed off in the direction of the Great Hall, not wanting to be stuck in the hallway with Draco.

Draco stared after her, a smirk etched on his gorgeous features.

x x x x x x x x x x

"You know, Malfoy, you've got one hell of an advantage having joint rooms with Granger," Blaise stated randomly during dinner. Draco faced him with a quirked eyebrow.

"What do you mean, Zabini?"

Blaise smirked. "Well, if you didn't notice, Malfoy, your little bookworm is growing up and out in all the right places. Guys are starting to notice her, man. And she has one hot piece of ass," he commented, naughtily.

Draco immediately stiffened, his eyes darkening to a molten shade of grey. "Back off, Zabini. She's mine," he warned in a quiet tone.

Blaise gives him a weird look, but in a flash it transforms into a scowl. "She's not yours yet, Malfoy."

"We'll see about that, Zabini."

"Not if I can help it."

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione stared down at her untouched roast duck and peas. Suddenly, the jovial banter of the Great Hall was overcome by a hushed silence, and heavy footsteps were heard approaching the Gryffindor table. A shadow shrouded Hermione, and she looked up to stare into the quicksilver eyes of none other than Draco Malfoy. Hermione felt Harry and Ron tense beside her and shook her head slightly to indicate that she was in no mood for a fight. Draco smirked at that as he held out his hand, inviting her to accept it.

"Would you like to take a walk?"

Hermione stared up at him, her lips parted in shock.

Harry removed his wand as he clutched Ron's robes, preventing him from lashing out at Draco and getting them into trouble. Ginny's mouth hung open in surprise, and Neville fainted, his face landing into his half-eaten bowl of rice casserole. The Slytherins were fuming; how could the Slytherin Demi-God want to walk with the bucktoothed Gryffindor know-it-all? Pansy, on the other hand, was smiling into her soup, and Crabbe and Goyle were looking as blur as always. Blaise simply glared at his butterblond best friend.

Hermione looked into Draco's eyes. _Is this some kind of sick joke?_

Before she knew what she was doing, Hermione hesitantly fitted her small hand into Draco's larger one, and Draco helped her out of her seat.

All the students - and the teachers - stared on in shock as Hermione made her way out of the Great Hall, Draco gliding behind her. Just as they left the Great Hall, everyone started spreading rumours and devouring gossip about Hogwarts' latest unlikely couple, the Great Hall buzzing with excitement.

x x x x x x x x x x

_Oh my God. I'm taking a walk with Draco Malfoy, my arch enemy since.. well, forever! What am I doing? Where are we going? And why am I so stupid as to forget my jacket?? It's freezing out here_, flooded in Hermione's haywire thoughts. She shook her head to clear her thoughts, her burnt copper curls bouncing about her shoulders. Draco's lingering stares at her went unnoticed as he revelled in her presence. There was something in the air about her that made her feel rather superior. Draco smirked. He liked his women superior.

The two of them made their way around the Grounds, the green grass glistening after a light shower. Draco seemed to be at ease with the silence, but Hermione was wracking her brains with possible reasons as to why Draco would want to walk with her. _Maybe this is all just a silly joke, and he'll go around telling the whole school that I fell for it. Well, I won't be having any of that! I'm Hermione Granger, not to be fooled with under any circumstances! Or maybe he simply wants some company. No, he'd be walking with Pansy or Blaise or some other Slytherin minion. Hm.. There's got to be at least ONE logical reason!!_

She was, of course, driving herself mad.

Hermione absolutely refused to admit to herself that she toyed with the idea of him liking her. _That is, after all, a ridiculous proposition!_ Hermione convinced herself, giving herself a little subconcious nod in agreement. Draco shot her a funny look, but brushed it off, creating his own theories as to what she was nodding at herself about.

"Uhm.. It's a beautiful night out," Hermione stated, trying her best to make conversation. Silences always creeped her out; it was a phobia she had developed since she was little. Hermione was shocked silly when, instead of sneering at her like she expected, Draco grinned up at the twinkling night sky.

"Yeah, it is. The sky's just like a bunch of glittering diamonds on an endless roll of black velvet," he noted.

_Wow.. I never knew Draco had a poetic side to him.. That was absolutely beautiful! _Hermione grinned to herself.

_Bloody Merlin, I sound like a fucking faggot! _Draco thought, his face paling in horror.

After several awkwardly silent moments, they made their way back into the castle. It was quite late, judging by the few scattered students left milling about the castle. The pair silently made their way up to their portrait and Hermione gave the prince the password, seeing as the princess was snoozing.

Draco held his hand out towards the portrait hole as the portrait swung open, being the perfect gentleman and gesturing her inside. Hermione smiled politely as she carefully climbed through. Draco followed her moments later, and Hermione heard the portrait swing shut behind them with a dull _click_.

Draco took Hermione's hand and grazed his lips lightly over her knuckles, staring into her pools of warm chocolate orbs the entire time. Caught off guard, Hermione let a soft gasp escape her lips as her cheeks blushed a bright crimson. She had the urge to snatch her hand back and slap him, but caught herself just in time. _This is not the Draco Malfoy I grew up with and hate._

"Thank you for the pleasure of allowing me to escort you around the Grounds," he said, his voice as smooth as silk. "Goodnight, ..Hermione."

Hermione's eyes widened in response. He had said her name! Hermione was so used to Mudblood, Granger, and the odd Gryffindor Know-It-All. Hermione was now certain that he had drunk some kind of potion that required him to be nice to her. Either that, or he had been abducted and the aliens had made an alarmingly different - yet similiarly delicious - carbon copy of him.

Draco gave her one of his infamous million-Galleon half smirks that sent girls crashing over the edge and swooning at his feet. Hermione, though, wasn't one of those girls, but she did remain teetering dangerously close to the edge. Besides, Hermione Granger had more dignity than those other girls, and she easily refrained from dropping to her knees and worshipping the ground he walked on.

There was an unbelievable moment where their eyes met, Hermione's melting to a shade darker from Draco's piercingly intense stare.

Then, as quick as the moment had started, it ended abruptly with Draco giving her a curt nod before striding off to his room.

Hermione fell back onto the plush sofa, brows knitted together in confusion. She was feeling rather insulted by that nod; what on Earth did he mean by it?!

Hermione let out a groan of frustration when no answer entertained her. She needed to speak to Ginny as soon as possible. Hermione thought over the possibility of sneaking out to Gryffindor Tower at 11.17PM and decided against it. She couldn't possibly sneak all the way to the other end of the castle without Harry's Invisibility Cloak. Mrs Norris or Filch would definitely find her out and issue a detention. Hermione had never received a detention in her entire life, and she wasn't going to let now be the time for one to kick her in the arse and stain her spotless permanent record.

Hermione let out a stiffled yawn. "Mmm.. I should go to bed," she reasoned with herself. But her muscles ached from her long walk and tiring day. Slowly, she curled up on the sofa and sighed, the crackling from the fireplace lulling her to sleep in seconds.

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: Foo. Read Chapter Two's.

Author's Note: A BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAREST FRIEND, CAITYYY!! You rock, sweets. D

Ahem, right, moving on. Well, this chapter is longer than the others, and I'm planning to make all my chapters roughly this length. Oh, and in response to **Eternal Night**'s question: Yes, they do need escorts. If not, where'd all the fun be?

A gargantuan THANK YOU to my beloved reviewers: **WinnieThaPoo92**, **Sam**, **Eternal Night**, **Artemis52036**, **Abby**, **oneamsoundstage** and **BA de Danone**!! You guys seriously rock ass. Ooh, also thanks to the reviewers of His Thoughts!

Well, I've been faithfully keeping to my one-chapter-every-one-or-two-days thing, eh? I'm planning on releasing the next chapter, say, on New Year's. Yeah.

Oh, I'm reeeally sorry that I made such a big jump in Draco's feelings. It's just, if I HAD filled in the blanks and written down every single moment they spent together to get that feeling, this story would be the death of me. And doesn't everyone just L-O-V-E Draco Malfoy? I know I do! Ttfn, 'sizzleberrylicious. Muaxx, sweets! ♥


	4. Chapter 4

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Four

x x x x x x x x x x

"Granger.. Granger! Get up now, or you'll be late for class. Granger, if you do not get your ass out of that sofa now, I will personally-"

SMACK.

Draco jumped back, clutching his right cheek, aghast. A burning red hand mark began to take shape on his pale skin and it stung. Draco had been leaning over Hermione, trying to get her to wake up, and she had subconsciously struck him before mumbling something incoherent and turning over.

"HERMIONE LEAH GRANGER!" Draco shrieked, remembering to keep his distance from her incase she suddenly decided to cause more bodily harm. When Hermione made no move to get up, Draco cautiously approached the sleeping figure and picked her up, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her neck.

Hermione's eyes shot open and she let out a suprised yelp. "MALFOY!! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!!" she cried, struggling to get free. Draco rolled his eyes as he dumped her unceremoniously back onto the sofa. Hermione glared up at him. "You could've at least been a bit gentler, you know," she snapped, swinging her legs over the side of the sofa and standing up, dusting imaginary dust off her pleated school skirt. Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of the wall clock and let out a gasp, her eyes widening.

"DRACO AQUILLIS MALFOY, WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP?!! I'M GOING TO BE LATE FOR CLASS NOW AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU SCHEMING LITTLE FERRET!!!" she screamed as she charged past him and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She continued to rant, though her voice was muffled by the door and the only words Draco could make out were "lousy", "professor", and "beetle". Draco furrowed his brow at the last word, but immediately replaced it with his nonchalant facade when Hermione marched out of the bathroom, her voice filling his ears once more. "..AND DON'T YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT MAN-HANDLING ME LIKE THAT EVER AGAIN!! I AM HERMIONE GRANGER, NOT SOME SILLY LITTLE WHORE YOU PICKED UP OFF THE STREETS, AND I DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH RESPECT!!!"

"Granger, I DID try to wake you, but you-"

"BECAUSE REALLY, MALFOY, THE LEAST YOU COULD'VE DONE WAS TRY TO WAKE ME UP!!! BUT DID YOU?!!"

"YES, Granger, I DID, but-"

"NOOOO, YOU DIDN'T!!! SOMETIMES I JUST FEEL SO INFURIATED BY YOU, DO YOU KNOW THAT?!!"

"I believe so, Granger, but-"

"I BET YOU DIDN'T, BUT WHY WOULD I EXPECT YOU OF ALL PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND ME?!!"

"Granger, you're bloody over reacting-"

"OVER REACTING?!! I AM OVER REACTING?!! WELL, MISTER I'M-SO-SMART-BECAUSE-YOU'RE-SO-STUPID-THAT-YOU'RE-OVER-REACTING, I WOULDN'T BE 'OVER REACTING' IF YOU HAD WOKEN ME UP, NOW WOULD I?!!"

"For the last time, Granger, I DID-"

"BUT I DON'T THINK YOU EVEN NOTICED THAT I WAS STILL SLEEPING, SINCE YOU WERE PROBABLY SO CAUGHT UP IN YOURSELF!!! AND WHAT IS THAT HAND PRINT DOING THERE?!! I SUPPOSE YOU SLAPPED YOURSELF FOR LOOKING SO DAMN GOOD, OR SOMETHING EQUALLY STUPID AND POINTLESS!!!"

"Granger, YOU'RE the one that-"

"MY LIFE, MY PERMANENT RECORD, AND MY FUTURE IS IN RUINS NOW, AND ALL BECAUSE OF YOU AND YOUR STUPID, SELFISH, PUREBLOOD NEEDS!!!!!"

"SILENCIO!"

Hermione's eyes widened in anger and she pursed her lips together when she realised that she couldn't talk. She glared at Draco, who was tutting at her while shaking his head.

"Really, Granger, just shut up and listen to me for once, alright? Well, I DID TRY TO WAKE YOU UP, but you ended up slapping me. So, I decided to pick you up, seeing as you're most likely to respond to it, which you did, and then you started ranting on and on and on about whatever you were ranting about!"

Hermione continued to glare at her, folding her arms across her chest, stubbornly. "I hate you," she mouthed.

Draco rolled his eyes as he muttered the counter-charm and grabbed his book bag off the armchair. "Let's get to class."

Hermione shouldered her book bag and hurried out of the Head Commons after Draco.

x x x x x x x x x x

Draco and Hermione burst into the Potions classroom, panting. They collapsed into each other from lack of oxygen, and tumbled down to the floor. They had jumped to a sprint once outside the portrait hole, eager to see who had better athelic abilities. Hermione had been determined to proove to Draco that he wasn't best at everything, and Draco had taken her up on their little race. Professor Snape cocked an eyebrow at their amusing entrance. "Mister Malfoy, Miss Granger, take your seats. And may I ask the reason for your tardiness?"

Draco slowly lifted himself off the ground and made to help Hermione up, but she simply swatted the offered hand away and jumped up, scowling. "Sorry, Professor," Draco said casually. "You see, Hermione and I were actually getting quite busy in the Commons and-" Draco was cut off by Hermione's elbow coming into sharp contact with his rib. He grimaced, clutching his side as he slowly limped over to an empty seat.

"What he means to say, Professor, is that we were actually.. having an argument, and we ran late," Hermione flushed. She looked around the classroom for a vacant seat, but couldn't find one. Then, she saw Draco innocently patting the seat next to him. Hermione grumbled to herself as she plonked down beside him and got out her books. _This is my lucky day, isn't it?_

"That is no valid reason for your tardiness, Miss Granger. Twenty points from Gryffindor for invalid reasoning," Snape leered, smirking to himself at deducting his rival House's points. Draco jumped to Hermione's rescue.

"But, Professor, that would mean that you'd have to deduct twenty points from Slytherin, too, seeing as her excuse is mine as well," Draco spoke up, quickly. Snape stared at him for several moments before muttering a barely audible, "Twenty points to Gryffindor for nothing."

Hermione turned to face Draco, impressed. "How'd you do that? Being the Slytherin Teacher's Pet must have it's benefits."

Draco smirked. "I'm Snape's godson."

Hermione hardly flinched. "Well, that's expected, I suppose. I wish I was Snape's godson.. Bloody hell! I did not just say that. I did not just say that. I did not just say that," Hermione squeezed her eyes tight and repeated the matra over and over again in her head. Draco grinned like a Cheshire cat.

"Don't worry, Hermione. You're not alone. Millions of other people want to be me, too."

Hermione smacked him upside his head, immediately drawing the attention of the rest of the class.

"Now, if Miss Granger and Mister Malfoy are done, I'd like to inform you of the potion we'll be making today. It's called the Skele-gro, and special precautions are to be taken in the making of this potion. It is 20 of your grade, which will count terribly in your N.E.W.T. examinations. The Skele-gro enables the drinker to regrow any broken bones, as well as increase in size if all bones are intact. This potion is commonly used by Madam Pomfrey, and the few of you who manage to create the perfect Skele-gro, your potions will be sent to her to be put to good use. Seeing as Mister Malfoy and Miss Granger wasted us much time already, you will be doing your work with the person seated next to you. Instructions are on the board, you may begin now," Snape said. With a swish of his wand, his spidery scrawl littered the blackboard, and students jumped up to retrieve the ingredients.

"You go and get the unicorn hair, crushed horned beetle, and fluxweed essence. I'll get the scalamander eye, powdered horn of Bicorn, and rat's tails," Hermione ordered before speeding off around the classroom, gathering the ingredients. Draco wasn't in as much of a hurry as she was, so he took his time to slowly make it around the class, grabbing whatever ingredients he needed to get, before making his way back to their cauldron.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione chewed thoughtfully on her bottom lip, staring up at the enchanted ceiling. Fluffy cotton clouds were scattered over the bright blue sky, and the banana yellow sun was shining. Ginny turned to her friend, worried. "'Mione? Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Gin, I'm fine. I'm just.. thinking," Hermione said, not taking her eyes off the ceiling. Ginny stared at her for several moments before shrugging and turning her attention back to her jell-o.

Hermione glanced over at the Slytherin table, where Draco was busy sniggering amongst his peers. They had actually gotten an A for their potion, and nothing too dramatic had happened during class. Well, with the exception of Draco accidentally spilling a sample of their potion on Neville Longbottom. The poor Gryffindor, having all his bones intact, had grown at least five inches all around. He was as round as a balloon, and had trouble exiting the class for the doorway was too narrow! Thankfully for him, Hermione had shrunk him back to his original size, and Neville had spluttered his thanks all the way to the Great Hall, Hermione brushing it off the entire time.

Draco had turned rather pink when he tripped over Lavander's bookbag and went sprawling on the squeeky clean floors, his vial flying through the air and smashing on Neville's desk, sending the liquid splattering all over him. Neville's partner, Terry Boot, had been busy talking to Seamus Finnegan at the time and wasn't harmed.

"I never knew a Slytherin of all people could be so clumsy," Hermione mused.

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: Pfft. Read Chapter Three's.

Author's Note: This chapter is more humurous than the others! I dunno, I just felt really elated while I wrote this - my mom bought me this ubercool Guess tote and a faux rabbit's fur neck warmer thingy for New Year's.. Ahhhh. Love. This chapter is also a lot shorter than the rest, sadly, but Chapter Five is going to be a lot longer, so no worries. ."

Oh, and I'm posting up a new story later. It's actually a requested one from this reeeally old friend of mine. So, if you're reading this (and I'm sure you're not), Norie, I'm actually carrying out your wish! It's not a 100 original story plot, but it's hers. It'd be MUCH more fun to write than The Debutante Ball, that I'm sure. x

You know, I've actually got this reeally strange writing pattern for The Debutante Ball. I wrote Chapter Five and Six before I did Chapter Four, which is rather weird, come to think of it. Hm. Ttfn, 'sizzleberrylicious. Muaxx, sweets!! ♥


	5. Chapter 5

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Five

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione sat herself down by one of the shady willows that decorated the edge of the Lake. She had a heavy stack of homework and extra-credit assignments with her, and had taken advantage of the sunny weather and decided to do her studying outside. Clusters of students were milling about in the lush green grass, talking, laughing, and having fun. Only the odd bookworm dotted the Grounds, their noses buried deep in their books.

Hermione removed her shoes and socks and dipped her feet into the cold water of the Lake. She got out a quill and parchment from her book bag and began scribbling down notes.

After half an hour, Hermione had managed to complete her Potions essay, and was working her way through her extra-credit Transfiguration essay, when all of a sudden, she felt a burning in her cheek, like someone was staring at her. She furrowed her brow as she turned around, only to find a group of Slytherins snickering and smirking amongst themselves several feet away from her study spot. Draco was part of the group, but he seemed to be far away from the conversation, and was staring directly at her, unabashedly. Hermione frowned before shaking her head and turning back to her essay.

Several minutes passed, and Hermione could still feel the heat from Draco's lingering stares. It was starting to annoy her, and she couldn't concentrate on her essay properly. Finally, heaving a huge sigh, she clumsily packed up her stuff, deciding that the library would be a better place to study. She stood up quickly, but her History of Magic text somehow fell out of her bag. Hermione reached forward for it and managed to grasp it in time before it met its soggy end in the Lake, but then realised that _she_ was going to fall into the Lake! She let out a shriek as she fell forward, squeezing her eyes shut and bracing herself for the splash, when suddenly, a pair of muscular arms encircled her waist. Her eyes flew open and she whipped her head around, curls askew, to see who her saviour was. Undoubtedly, it was none other than Draco Malfoy. Hermione's hair flew in front of his face and tickled his nose, causing him to sneeze. "AAAAH-CHOOO!!"

Draco lost his balance, and both teenagers tumbled head-first into the icy water. "Aaahhh!!"

SPLASH.

x x x x x x x x x x

Draco quickly stood up in the water. It wasn't too deep; it only reached up to his waist. He steadied himself, though, for the sand underneath his feet was loose and slippery. His eyes widened, scanning the dark waters for any sight of Hermione's bushy head. The water rippled, but there was no sign of the self-proclaimed Gryffindor Princess. Draco let out a sigh and was about to crouch down to look for her when suddenly, a hand shot out of the water and grabbed his, pulling him into the water. Draco let out a terrified, "Aiiiee!!" before he went down under.

_Shit! It's so much deeper here!_ Draco thought to himself, panicking. The arm that obviously belonged to Hermione had pulled him deeper into the Lake for some absurd reason. _Is she a friggin' St. Mungo's escapist?!!_ Draco opened his eyes slowly and was shocked to see Hermione staring at him, her face several inches from his. Her expression was startled, but definitely not as startled as his.

Draco stared into her soft honey brown eyes, dumbstruck. Hermione narrowed her eyes in puzzlement. She parted her lips slightly, a stream of miniscule bubbles flowing up to the surface. She shut her mouth quickly, as if she just realised that they were underwater, blushing. Draco brushed a wayward brown curl out of her face, watching it float upwards. He gazed at her in awe. Her corkscrew curls fanned out around her face, giving her a rather ethereal feel. Draco's eyes began to sting from the exposure, but he refused to blink, in case it was all just a dream and this goddess-like Hermione would disappear.

Suddenly, Draco started to feel faint, and alarm bells started going off in his head. _Bugger! I can't swim!!_

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione's eyes widened in shock when Draco's eyes drifted shut and his body went limp. He looked so very angelic, floating there mere inches in front of her. The little sunlight that streamed into the water lit up his delicate features and muscular Quidditch-toned build. Hermione snapped back to reality. _He was drowning!!_ She quickly swam upwards towards the surface, tugging him along with her. She broke the surface of the Lake and gasped for air, choking. She swam out to the edge, and heaved Draco onto land. The group of Slytherins now wore looks of utter panic. Their Slytherin Prince had drowned?!! Bloody Merlin.. The world is coming to an end!

Pansy rushed over to her best friend. "Good Gods! Is he alright, Granger?"

"I wouldn't know. He must've fainted. I think he forgot to go up for air," Hermione said, a funny look on her face as she stared down at Draco's helpless form.

"Well, then, give him CPR!! Mouth-to-mouth!! The Heimlich Maneuver!! Something!!" Pansy ranted, starting to get worried. Hermione felt for a pulse.

"I can feel his pulse - Wait. Er.. Don't _you_ want to give him mouth-to-mouth??"

Pansy shook her head, her glossy raven locks bouncing. "No, thank you. You have the honour to do so, Granger, seeing as you're the one who got him into this in the first place."

_Damnit. She has a point_, Hermione grumbled to herself. She kneeled down next to Draco and took a deep breath before pinching his nose shut and dropping her lips onto his. _Mmm.. This actually feels quite good.._

After several seconds, Draco's eyes fluttered open, and he kissed her back on instinct. _Hey, what bloke doesn't smooch a girl back when he wakes up to find her all over him?_ he reasoned with himself as he sucked lightly on her bottom lip.

Hermione nearly had the shock of her life. She jumped back and let out a small yelp, blushing furiously. "Malfoy!"

Pansy smirked to herself.

Draco tiredly pushed himself up on one elbow, groaning. "Bloody hell.. Merlin, my head hurts.."

"Uhm, Draco, I think you should go upstairs and get some rest. You're going to need it," Pansy said, quickly. She turned to Hermione with a smile. "Granger, would you mind helping him upstairs? I'm worried he might faint again."

"Men don't faint!" Draco said, hotly. "We pass out."

Pansy and Hermione rolled their eyes in unison. "Whatever."

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione awoke with a start. She had had the strangest dream; Voldemort had caught Harry, but then, instead of pulling an Avada Kedavra on him, he had asked - scratch that, demanded - for _her_ whereabouts!

"There is something so wrong with that picture," Hermione muttered to herself. She turned on her side and tried to go back to sleep, but her awful dream kept nagging her in the back of her head. She glanced up at her wall clock, its numbers flashing 2:35AM in neon red light.

After several failed attempts at sleeping, Hermione got out of bed and shrugged on her cloak. "I'll take a walk outside to clear my thoughts," she declared to herself.

Hermione grabbed an elastic and messily grouped her hair into a ponytail before pocketing her wand and heading out the door.

"Going somewhere, Granger?" called a familiar voice as she made her way towards the portrait hole. Hermione grimaced as she spun around to face Draco, who was seated by the fireplace, his beautiful blond head in his hands. He looked tired, and.. sick. She felt a pang of guilt at the memory of the earlier Lake incident.

"Just for a walk, Malfoy," Hermione replied. Draco lifted his head to face her. Hermione frowned. He had red-rimmed eyes, a runny nose, and was unnaturally pale, even for him. "Malfoy.. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Granger," he snapped, dropping his head into his hands once more. "Don't come back too late."

Hermione nodded before exiting the Head Commons and making her way out into the Grounds, oblivious to the intense pair of indigo eyes that followed her.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione tugged her cloak around her tighter as she stepped out onto the dewy grass. The wind was icy and strong, and large grey clouds were rolling in. A storm was brewing up, but judging by her calculations, it wouldn't drizzle for another hour or so, leaving her enough time to circle the Grounds and make it safely back to her room.

Hermione inhaled the crisp air and exhaled through her mouth. It was a breathing technique that left her feeling refreshed and relaxed.

About half an hour later, Hermione stood silently amongst the blooming rose bushes, taking in their sensual scent.

"Well, what do we have here?" came a slow drawl. Hermione froze, but then relaxed and turned around to face the intruder.

"What do you want, Zabini?"

Blaise shot her a smirk and took a step forward. "Such delicacy such as yourself shouldn't be wondering around outside without an escort." Hermione rolled her eyes and snorted. Blaise came dangerously close to her and whispered into her ear. "Anything could happen out here, so far away from the castle, and no one'd hear you scream."

Hermione tried to suppress the shiver that ran down her spine as Blaise glided his tongue along her ear. She hastily took a step back, Blaise licking his lips suggestively.

She felt a drop of rain land on the tip of her nose and thanked Merlin as an escape plan formed in her mind. She backed slowly away from Blaise towards the castle, smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Blaise, but it's starting to drizzle, so I'd better be going back before.. Well, see you," she garbled helplessly before turning on her heels and racing back to the castle.

x x x x x x x x x x

Blaise watched Hermione run back to the castle, smirking. He'd have that girl wrapped around his slender finger within a matter of days. That'd show Draco that Malfoys don't always get what they want. _Give him a good kick back into reality_, Blaise smirked to himself.

Suddenly, there was a movement behind him, in the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest. Blaise whipped around, grabbing his wand and pointing it steadily at the area he heard the noise come from. He could roughly make out a human form - undoubtedly a man - standing under the sweeping branches of the arched old Weeping Willow, his body hidden by the night's shadows.

"Who's there?" Blaise growled. There seemed to be something familiar about that man..

Just at that moment, the mysterious figure leaped out at Blaise and tackled him to the ground. All Blaise could make out was a flash of platinum blond hair before he went down. He tried to push off his attacker, which also _smelt_ familiar.

"MALFOY?" Blaise's eyes widened when he realised who his attacker was. Draco gave him a low growl and sprang up, landing neatly on his feet with almost feline-like reflexes. Draco wrenched a dazed and confused Blaise up by his shirt and pointed his wand threateningly at Blaise's throat.

"I told you to back off, Zabini," Draco hissed, pushing his wand deeper into Blaise's skin. Blaise stood stiff. Any false moves could land him on an emergency trip to St. Mungo's with a slit throat. The rain started to pummel down in fat drops, obscuring their view. Draco wrapped his long pianist fingers around Blaise's neck and drew him closer. "Do I need to tell you again, Zabini. She's MINE."

Blaise managed to tactfully wriggle out of Draco's clutches and regain his composure. He levelled his wand with Draco's, even though he couldn't see a thing with the rain falling faster and heavier with each passing second. A flash of lightning lit up their surroundings, and Blaise could make out Draco's robes clinging to him and his sopping bangs pushed away from his flashing silver eyes. A clap of thunder rolled in the distance several moments later.

"I don't want to hurt you, Malfoy," Blaise shouted over the noise. His arm felt heavy from holding up his wand, his sleeve being drenched with rain water and pulling him down. Draco's snort was barely audible, but Blaise heard it nonetheless. "You know I don't."

"Then why'd you go after my girl?" Draco snarled back, his grip on his wand so tight that his knuckles were turning a ghostly white.

"What's with you, man? A week ago you wanted her hexed into oblivion, and now you're so possessive over her. You don't own her, Malfoy, get that in your head!"

Before Blaise knew what had hit him, he was airborne; flying backwards several feet before landing roughly on the muddy grass. He narrowed his eyes as he scrambled up, barely making out Draco's approaching figure.

"Locomotor Mortis!" Draco cried, his wand pointed steadily at Blaise. Blaise's eyes widened as he lost all control of his legs and fell victim to the ever popular leg-lock. He swayed uncontrollably and held his hands out on both sides to regain his balance. He aimed his muddy wand at Draco and bellowed, "Furnunculus!"

Draco let out an ear-splitting shriek as hundreds of large, pussy boils appeared on his face and arms. "BLAISE ARMADEGON ZABINI, I AM GOING TO KILL YOU! CRUCIO!"

Blaise squeezed his eyes shut as a piercing sensation overcame his entire body. He let out a scream to match Draco's as he fell to the ground and writhed in pain. Draco's face boils were growing at an alarming rate, and they soon clouded over his vision. In surprise, Draco dropped his wand, and Blaise felt the excruciating pain wear off. Blaise panted, still on the ground, taking in large gulps of air and rain water, spluttering. Suddenly, the humungous boils on Draco's face burst, shooting puss in all directions. Draco immediately bent down and swiftly retrieved his wand.

"Avada Kedavra!"

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione hurried into the Head Commons, cringing as the thunder boomed overhead. Suddenly, she saw the strangest thing; jets of coloured light bouncing off the trees in the area where she had unfortunately bumped into Blaise. Crinkling her brow, she tentatively walked over to the window and gasped at the sight below. From her height way about the ground, she could easily see what was going on. Blaise and - Draco? - were duelling on the grounds! Hermione stumbled backwards as one of their haywire curses bounced off the wall several inches from her window. She bit her lip in confusion.

"Why on Earth are Malfoy and Zabini duelling.. in such torrid weather conditions?!" she questioned herself. She stood there, pondering, when suddenly, an all-too-familiar jet of sickly lime green light caught her eye from down below. Hermione let out a shriek as she rushed to the window and tried to assess what was going on below. "Bloody Merlin.. What's going on?!"

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: You should know the drill by now.

Author's Note: Well, that's it! Yes, I know, this chapter was terribly short. But I think stopping there would just be overflowing with suspense, eh? Well, the next chapter's coming out in a matter of days, so no worries. School's starting soon, though (eep!), so I might have to lessen my updates to once a week or so, at the worst. I don't expect much homework to be issued on the first week of school (I hope..), so I'm guessing that I can still update every one to two days. Yeah.

Truckloads of thankyou's to my lovelylovelylovely reviewers!! **Shego-Lipsky**, **WinnieThaPoo92**, **oneamsoundstage**, and **adeckofcards**!!

There's going to be a _teeny tiny _bit of duelling in Chapter Five and Six. I just couldn't resist the temptation. My bad!! Ohh, and if anyone wants to drop me a private message or an email regarding anything at all, feel free to do so!! I already have one marvellous beta-reader, my buddy Abby, but another couldn't hurt, right? I've got some terrible spelling mistakes every now and again due to my quick typing, so that's probably my ultimate downfall. Ttfn, 'sizzleberrylicious. Muaxx, sweets!! ♥


	6. Chapter 6

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Six

x x x x x x x x x x

Draco froze as a neon green jet of light skimmed dangerously close to his left ear and watched as it zoomed into the depths of the Forbidden Forest behind him. He narrowed his eyes at Blaise, who was still on the ground. Had his best friend made an attempt to.. kill him? Draco seethed with rage, pointing his wand at Blaise, muttering, "Imperio!"

Blaise, who was fumbling with his mind trying to recall the counter-spell to the leg-lock, was suddenly overcome by a strange, dream-like feeling. He panicked. This could only be the Imperius Unforgivable. He inwardly groaned.

**_Get up, Zabini_**, floated in Draco's voice. Blaise made a move to get up, but then stopped short. _I must not listen to him! _he reminded himself quickly.

**_Get up, Zabini.. Get up.. Zabini.. Get up.. Up now, Zabini.. Zabini.. Zabini.. Get up.. Zabini.._**

Blaise let out a long shriek, Draco's voice pounding in his head, growing louder by the minute. He had no choice but to follow. Struggling, he managed to flip himself up without the use of his helpless legs.

**_Good. Now, drop your wand, Zabini. Drop your wand._**

Blaise fought with all his will power and held on tightly to his wand, his grip nearly snapping the polished wood in half. Who knew what Draco would do to him once he was defenseless?

**_Zabini.. Drop your wand.. Let go of your wand, Zabini.. Zabini.. Zabini, drop your wand.. Drop your wand.. Let go of your wand.. Zabini.. Zabini.._**

Blaise's fingers quivered as, one by one, they unstuck themselves from his wand. Blaise was screaming at himself not to let go, but couldn't do anything against it. His wand fell to the muddy grass, making an odd squishy sound as it nestled in the mud.

Squish.

**_Good, Zabini, good._**

All of a sudden, Blaise felt the curse being lifted off him, and sighed in relief. He quickly made to grab his wand, but Draco was quicker.

"Accio wand!"

The magic stick flew out of the mud and neatly into Draco's outstretched hand. Blaise shut his eyes, fearing the worse, when suddenly, his reflexes caused him to reach out and grab.. his wand? He blinked open his eyes in surprise, gripping onto the wood tightly in case this was some kind of trick.

"I'm sparing you, Zabini," Draco shouted over the rain. "Just don't mess with Granger again."

Draco walked back towards the castle, his wand still in hand. Blaise muttered the counter-spell for the annoying leg-lock and struggled to stand up. He glared daggers at Draco's retreating back, before firing off as many curses as possible in his direction.

Draco, knowing that Blaise wouldn't let him off that easily for placing him under two Unforgivables in less than seven minutes, immediately spun around and deflected the curses, sending them back towards a stunned Blaise.

Blaise's eyes widened in shock as his curses shot back at him. He dived out of the way, but a scarlet red beam of light hit his ankle, and he turned rigid as a board, falling to the ground with an audible _thud_.

Draco smirked at his immobile friend before heading back to the castle. When he was a few feet away from the castle, the main doors suddenly burst open, sending a stream of bright light into Draco's eyes. He dived into an overgrowth of Hawthorn bushes, but then mentally smacked himself for his behaviour.

_A Malfoy does not run and hide, much less dive into bushes! I've got more dignity than that. Besides, it's not like that person was -_

"GRANGER?!" he nearly shouted in surprise. He clamped his hand over his mouth, but thankfully for him, the rain was too heavy, and that persistent Know-It-All hadn't heard him.

He watched as she disappeared into the rain, her silhoutte still roughly visible. He slitted his eyes when realisation struck him; she was making her way to Blaise Zabini.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione rushed down the many flights of marble steps and out the main entrance. The thunder and lightning had gone, but the rain was still pounding down hard against the solid walls of Hogwarts. Hermione shivered as she stepped out into the rain and scanned the Grounds for any sight of Draco or Blaise. She noticed a strange lump on the ground several feet west of the rose bushes and rushed over to it, alarms going off in her head that one of the guys were badly injured. Her vision was blurred considerably, but she didn't care. She had the strangest feeling that whatever the boys had been duelling over had to do strongly with her, and she wasn't going to just leave the injured party to suffer.

Hermione's eyes widened when she reached Blaise's stupefied state. She dropped to her knees in the mud, not caring if her stockings got soaked with mud. She fumbled for her wand and muttered the counter-spell. "Ennervate!"

Blaise's eyes snapped open and Hermione helped him up, a worried look splashed over her features. "Are you alright, Blaise? Can you walk? Do you want me to go fetch Madam Pomfrey?"

Blaise shook his head, wincing at the pain. "I can walk, Granger, no need to draw attention to anything."

Blaise made a move to walk, but stumbled forward. Hermione bit her lip as she helped him to his feet again, looping his arm around her shoulders. "I'll help you walk to the castle. Come on."

Hermione and Blaise silently made their way back to the castle, slipping in the mud every now and then. When they finally made it back to the warmth of the deserted Great Hall, Hermione helped Blaise to sit down on one of the benches. "Can you make it to the infirmary, or do you want me to go and get Madam Pomfrey? I think you've sprained your ankle, and you've got some fresh cuts on your shoulder," Hermione noted as she inspected his wounds. "If you don't want to, I could fix them for you here."

"That'd be appreciated, Granger," Blaise said. Hermione nodded in agreement as she pointed her wand at him, steadily. Blaise shut his eyes. This was the second time he was on the receiving end of a wand in less than ten minutes! His pride had danced out the window and into the storm, he was sure of it.

x x x x x x x x x x

"Ginny, can I talk to you about.. something?" Hermione asked her redhead friend, jerking her head towards Harry and Ron, who were busy seeing who could eat the most cream puff pastries in ten minutes. Ginny nodded, understandingly.

"Girl talk," Ginny agreed. She turned to Harry and Ron, "Uhm, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I are going to go and take a walk."

Ron shot her a questioning glance before devouring the rest of his cream puff and grabbing another. "But awen't you gonna eat?" he asked through a mouthful of cream puff. "This schtuff ish goooood."

"Let 'em go, Won. It'sh pwivate giwlie's schtuff," Harry said, shovelling more cream puffs into his mouth. Ron merely shrugged his shoulders and continued to wallop the cream puffs. Hermione and Ginny exchanged glances before walking out of the Great Hall. Once several feet away from the door, Ginny rounded on Hermione and grinned.

"Alright, 'Mione, spill!"

Hermione blushed. "Well, I'm confused, Gin. As you know, Dra- Malfoy asked me to walk with him several nights ago. And then, last night, while I was taking a stroll around the Grounds, Blaise suddenly appeared and started saying how dangerous it was and all that, then he.. Uhm.. Licked my ear."

Ginny's jaw dropped. If she had been an animated cartoon character, her jaw would've come unscrewed and fell down till it hit the floor. She blinked once, twice, before snapping her mouth shut and giggling. "Oh my God, Hermione, that is SO unfair! You've got BOTH of the notorious Slytherin hotties wanting you. How do you do it?"

Hermione laughed, nervously. "I don't know, Gin. I don't even know what to do now!"

Ginny smacked her forehead. "I do. You pick one, and I'll have the other. Fair?"

"GINNY WEASLEY!!"

"What?" Ginny grinned, sheepishly. "You can't hog them forever, 'Mione."

Hermione felt a blush creep up her cheeks and she lifted her chin. "I'm not hogging them, Gin, don't be silly." She fidgeted uncomfortably. "And, well.. After I went back up, I saw Malfoy and Zabini duelling. I got really worried, Gin; there was an Avada thrown in! They could've been seriously hurt, or worse, dead! So I went down, and I helped Blaise inside. He had the Locomotor Mortis leglock on, and Draco - uhm, Malfoy - was nowhere in sight."

Ginny stared at her for a moment before smirking at her. "No, really, Hermione. Choose one. I'll have the other. It's a fair deal, don't you think?"

Hermione sighed. "Ginny!! I don't even know if they actually like me. You do realise how very wrong that would be, after so many years of mistreatment and name-calling from Draco, and ignorance from Blaise? It's just so.. weird. Besides, I have 'tainted blood'. No pureblood would even consider thinking about me, let alone _wanting_ me!"

"Look at you, 'Mione, you've grown up so much since then. Guys are definitely starting to notice you," Ginny grinned. Hermione bit down on her lip, her cheeks now a tomato-red shade.

"Oh, shut up, Gin."

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: I do not intend to achieve any profits in the form of money, cheque, or items by the publishment of this piece of crap, nor do I intend to do any copyrighted infringement, or whatever you call it. Happy?

Author's Note: I bet you that most of you thought that one of them, Blaise or Draco, was gonna die. Well, I can't afford to kill them off, seeing as they both play very important rolls in this story. Rejoice!! I've finally got the plot settled out for my next story!! I'm so excited!! But I'm only going to post the first chapter AFTER I finish The Debutante Ball, seeing as I might abandon this story, as I seemed to be doing with my other stories on my previous account. Well, I'll advertise it in the last chapter of this story, so keep your eyes open!!

Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou and THANKYOU to all my brilliant reviewers!! **oneamsoundstage**,** curioscat**,** WinnieThaPoo92**, **I lUv JeSsE mCcArTnEy**, **Gueneviere**, **GoldenWingedSilverFaerie**, **dracoisthesexiestmanalive**, **Abby**, **Loh Ai Lin**, **Eternally Night**, and **Artemis52036**!!

Urhm, these are just some responses to some reviews. Thanks a lot, guys!!

**Abby**: THANKYOU, Abby. Happy? Ha. Abby, I have no friggin' idea what their middle names are. I just made them up. x) And I couldn't think of any other middle name for Draco anyway. Chester? Bob? Draco Bob Malfoy.. Ha! I'm gonna die laughing.

**I lUv JeSsE mCcArTnEy**: Ahh, well, I don't think Draco's evil. He didn't kill Dumbledore, after all! And besides, Draco just rolls off the tongue.. Mmm. Yummy. Haha. Sorry if me calling him Draco instead of Malfoy offends you. And I am reeeeally sorry about the length of the chappiter. I had writer's block!! Eek!!

**GoldenWingedSilverFaerie**: Haha, thanks a lot for the review!! I reviewed one of your stories already. x) And well, no one died, since the Avada missed it's mark.. Thank God. I seriously don't know how I'm going to continue this story is Draco is dead and Blaise is jailed. shudders Oh, and I think this Pansy is easier to work with than the snotty, frou-frou Pansy most people write with. Besides, people change, right? Right? Right. x) Nice to know that we have the same Pansy-tastes!!

**WinnieThaPoo92**: As mentioned in this chappiter, BLAISE pulled an Avada. He's eebil. But still hot. Ha. Okay, sorry, moving on. And I'm trying reeeally hard not to update so late, but it's all I can do with school workloads and all that shit. Ha. I'll update as often as I can, I promise. I've already got about.. half of Chapter Seven done, if it helps. x)

**Loh Ai Lin**: Haha. Thanks for reading and reviewing anyway!! Hee. See you in school!

Lalala.. Ha, I hope I made sense.

Hm. Alright, I have nothing else to say. Ttfn, 'sizzleberrylicious. Muaxx, sweets! ♥


	7. Chapter 7

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Seven

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione pushed her potatoes around her plate with her fork. She didn't feel like eating, and the noise in the Great Hall was giving her an excessive headache.

"I'm going to the library to finish up my homework," Hermione stated as she got out of her seat. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye, 'Mione," Harry smiled. Hermione smiled back before taking off from the Great Hall.

x x x x x x x x x x

Draco stared after Hermione as she left the Great Hall. He turned to Pansy. "Have you seen Zabini, Pans?"

Pansy shook her head. "No, I haven't. I haven't seen him all day. He's been looking rather sickly lately," she said, giving him a pointed look when he flinched. "Do you have anything to do with that, Draco?"

Draco sighed in defeat. "Pans, he was licking her fucking ear at three in the morning!! What did you expect me to do? I already told him to back off, but that git's just so stubborn."

"What exactly did you do? He did look pretty beat up, and you came to breakfast with a bleeding lip. What happened?"

"We.. duelled."

"WHAT?! Draco, you know how dangerous that is?! Both of you could've been seriously hurt, or killed!! I don't know the full extent of Blaise's defense against the dark arts, but I know enough to know that he's a tough match, Draco. He could've hurt you badly."

"Well, he didn't. All he gave me was a headache and a bleeding lip. But I showed him who was in charge here, and who Hermione belonged to."

"Draco, you know how I don't encourage all this duelling. It's awful," Pansy frowned.

'I'm sorry, Pans, I just couldn't let myself walk away after seeing him do that to her," Draco said, banging his fist on the table. Several Slytherin first years glanced up at him with frightened expressions, only to be met with a menacing scowl. "I'm going. See you."

Draco grabbed his book bag, got out of his seat, and left the Great Hall.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione walked briskly through the Astronomy Tower doors. She was taking a short cut to the library which she discovered from Harry's infamous Marauder's Map. _I guess that map isn't all that bad -_

Hermione stopped. She had heard something moving in a dark corner of the Astronomy Tower. She whipped out her wand and turned around slowly in a circle. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

"Relax, Granger, I don't bite," Blaise stated as he stepped out from the shadows, a smirk etched on his handsome features. "Unless you want me to."

Hermione blinked. _Blaise? Oh, good Lord._

"What do you want, Zabini?"

"Just your delightful presence, Granger. Why, are you scared?" he breathed down her neck. Hermione leaped forward. _Oh my bloody Merlin!! How did he do that?!!_

"Gods, Zabini, don't do that again!" Hermione warned, breathing heavily. Blaise smirked and advanced on her.

"Really, Granger, you're so jumpy," he said. "But I like my women like that."

Hermione scrunched her nose. _His_ women?!! "Excuse me, Zabini, but I'm NOT your woman. No one has the right to take claim of me as such!! I'm not a rag doll you can just toy with, you know."

"Oh, Granger, but you are to me," he said, indigo eyes glinting mischievously. "A beautiful, golden rag doll.. I'd play with you all day if I could."

"Zabini, you can stop that RIGHT NOW, it doesn't have the slightest effect on me," Hermione said quickly, lifting her chin an inch, ignoring the funny sensation that ran down the length of her spine and up again. _This isn't right.._

"Oh, really, Granger?" Blaise whispered, getting dangerously close to her. "So if I kissed you, you wouldn't feel anything?"

"N-no," Hermione stuttered, backing away. "Just disgust."

"Would you like to try?"

Hermione's eyes widened as Blaise advanced on her and crashed his lips down onto hers. She let out a muffled scream, her arms flailing about, hitting him wherever she could reach. _How dare he!! That.. that.. ohhhhh.._ Strangely, another part of her.. _enjoyed _the kiss. After several moments, Hermione gave up and gave in, her eyelids fluttering shut.

Just at that moment, Blaise broke away, smirking, licking his lips. Hermione furrowed her brow, her eyes still shut. "Mhmm..?"

"I know you want me, Granger," Blaise drawled, lazily running a finger down her cheek. Hemione's eyes burst open and she took a giant step back.

"You're just so full of yourself, Zabini!" she spat, blushing furiously. "Why in Merlin's name, would I want _you_, of all people?"

Blaise's smirk widened. "Because I'm me, Granger. And no one can resist Blaise Armadegon Zabini. It's a tragedy I'm forced to pay for being beautiful."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "You know, Zabini, for someone so full of yourself, you've no idea how to woo women."

"Ahh, not women, Granger. Just you," Blaise said, pressing his lips against hers once again. Hermione was boiling with fury. Hermione let out scream after muffled scream, panicking.

Suddenly, the door to the Astronomy Tower banged open, and a furious Draco Malfoy stormed up to them. Blaise's eyes widened and he broke away quickly, wiping his lips with his sleeve. "Whoa, Malfoy, man! It's not what it looks like-"

CRUNCH.

"Merlin, Malfoy!" Blaise cried, his voice thick, clutching his bleeding, broken nose. Draco snarled at him, wiping his bloodied knuckles on his robes. He took out his wand and muttered, "Incarcerous!"

Thick lengths of rope flew out of the tip of Draco's wand and wound their way tightly around Blaise's body, tying a dead knot at the end. "Malfoy-"

"Stupefy!"

Blaise went rigid.

Satisfied, Draco turned to Hermione with a look of pure concern. "Are you alright, Granger? Did he hurt you?"

"N-no, I'm fine," Hermione said. She cracked a smile. _He was concerned about me.. _"Thanks, Malfoy."

"If he so much as touches you again, tell me, okay?"

Hermione furrowed her brow, but nodded slowly. "Urhm, alright."

"Good."

Draco leaned in and grazed his lips lightly against hers before turning on his heel and striding towards the door. Hermione lifted a finger to her lips and stood there, shock still.

"Wait! Malfoy!" she called, just as he reached for the doorknob. He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Er.. What do I do with Zabini?"

Hermione could see Draco tense visibly. "Leave him. Someone'll find him eventually," he snarled before throwing open the door and gliding out, his robes billowing behind him.

Hermione frowned. She couldn't just leave him there.. Could she? Hermione sighed and muttered the counter-spells, releasing Blaise from his Stupefied state and rope bind. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why did you help me?"

"I.. I don't k-know," Hermione mumbled. "I couldn't just.. leave you there, r-right?"

"I suppose not."

Hermione bit her lip nervously. "Urhm, well.. See you," she muttered before rushing out the door, leaving an amused Blaise behind.

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: Read Chappiter Six's!!

Author's Note: I'm dreadfully sorry that this chappiter is so awfully short. guilty look But I've developed a slight writer's block for this chappiter. I've already got Chappiter Eight halfway done, though, so no worries.

Thanks to my reviewers!!! **Abby**,** Danusha**, **Imagination Vs Reality**, **oneamsoundstage**, **cute-angel4eva**, **WinnieThaPoo92**, **dracoisthesexiestmanalive**, **Miss Loh**, **Gueneviere**, and **BA de Danone**!!!

**Abby**: YES, Abby, THANKYOU for your generous beta-ing. xD

**Danusha**: Danuuu!! You FINALLY managed to review!! I thought I'd have to wait till I was old, bald, and crippled before I got a single word out of you. Loll. Thanks!!

**Imagination Vs Reality**: Thanks!!

**oneamsoundstage**: She's not really _contemplating_ Blaise. She's more of.. er.. thinking what the hell is going on. Erm. Nevermind. I'm not making the slightest bit of sense. D Don't worry, everything will be explained in the following chappiters, I hope.

**cute-angel4eva**: Thankyou!!

**WinnieThaPoo92**: Blaise is hawt!! Well, he's supposed to be. I haven't actually, er, seen his picture. o.O" Whoops. Well, he's hot in this fic, so there. xD JKR put all the hot guys in Slytherin coz they're supposed to be bad boys. And bad boys, as always, are always hawt and dangerously edgy. Haha. Alright, I'll stop ranting about the hotness of - Aggh!! Haha, thanks for the Ginny thing. I wanted her to be totally boy-crazy, so she's not actually listening properly to whatever 'Mione was saying. xD

**dracoisthesexiestmanalive**: Thanks! Uhrm, well, I thought that it would be an appropriate place to stop, seeing as what I was gonna write next would've been more suitable in the next chappiter. Uhm. Yeah. Sorry!!

**Miss Loh**: Ai Lin!! You're not helping my case!! And no more peeking at my Chappiter Sketches, you!! xP

**Gueneviere**: I know, I know. Throwing in the Unforgivables was mad, but that just goes to show how far gone they are, right? And, er, let's just say that Dumbledore doesn't want anything to do with this hormonal teenage love triangle going on.. ;) Ginny would look cute with Blaise, though, wouldn't she? x

**BA de Danone**: FOUR chapters?!! Ahaha!! Thankyouus!! You're so nice. x

Yups, that's about it. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!! I'm sorry if you're name's not mentioned here if you reviewed, it's probably coz I already posted up the chappiter. ." Sorry again!!

Ttfn, 'sizzleberrylicious. Muaxx, sweets! ♥


	8. Chapter 8

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Eight

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione walked briskly through the empty corridors, headed towards the Head Commons. It was dinner time, and most of the students were in the Great Hall, enjoying the lavish feast set out before them. Hermione had gulped down a bowl of chicken soup and left immediately, ignoring Harry and Ron's calls as she swiftly exited the Hall. She needed time alone in her room, time to think about what's been happening these past days, weeks. Hermione was confused; what had gotten into those two Slytherin's heads? They had suddenly liked her with such a force that it.. disturbed her. Immensely. Draco had attacked his best friend twice for harassing her, and, well, Blaise had kissed her! This was all too much for the poor Gryffindor to handle.

She marched up the marble steps, eager to enter the peaceful warmth of her Head Girl quarters. She approached the Heads portrait and mumbled the password quickly before charging through in a flurry of hair and robes. She made her way around the lush red and silver (a mesh of Head colours) couches and rushed into her room, charming her door with a quick yet surely effective silencing and locking charm.

Hermione scrambled onto her four poster bed and sat cross-legged in the middle, hugging one of the soft, feather down pillows to her chest. Crookshanks, her large ginger cat, leaped gracefully onto the bed and slowly made it's way over to her, purring delightly at the sight of its mistress.

"Hi, Crookshanks," Hermione said, softly, scratching the cat behind its ears. Crookshanks' purrs grew louder as it rubbed itself slowly into Hermione's side. "I've got to ask you something."

Hermione tossed the pillow aside and gently grabbed her cat, lifting the animal slowly onto her lap. Crookshanks meowed up at her as it pawed around in circles before finally settling down as a purring, warm bundle of ginger fur. Hermione stroked its soft fur with a sigh. "Crookshanks.. What would you do if, say, two cats wanted you so badly that it was dangerous? And you weren't exactly on the best terms with those two very cats. But the thing is, you actually seem to.. _like_ them, no matter what they did to you in the past. It's the oddest feeling, Crookshanks. I don't know what to do."

Crookshanks turned it's head to look up at her with it's intelligent lamp-like yellow eyes. It lifted a furry paw in the air and reached up towards Hermione, meowing. Hermione smiled as she held onto Crookshanks' paw. "I wish I could talk to Harry or Ron, Crookshanks," she muttered, hugging her feline towards her, her face buried in Crookshanks' thick fur. But they'd obviously think I'm Polyjuiced, brainwashed, or in need of serious medical attention. They just wouldn't understand.. Their relationship with Malfoy is strictly hate-hate. Harry might eventually accept it, though he might not entirely understand, but I'm sure that Ron would think me mad and most probably jeopardise our friendship."

Hermione lifted her large kitty so that their eyes were level. "That's what I like about you, Crookshanks. You'll listen to everything I say, but never judge me."

x x x x x x x x x x

After several hours of hugging Crookshanks to her and thinking of nothing, Hermione decided to confront Draco about all that's happen. "He's sure to tell me what's going on, right?" Hermione snuggled into Crookshanks' soft fur before placing the cat gently on the carpeted floor and watching as it slowly padded away.

"Okay, take a deep breath, Hermione," she coached herself, sucking in a deep gulp of air and releasing it. "You can do this. You CAN do this. Yes! I CAN DO THIS!"

Hermione pumped a fist in the air, grinning triumphantly. She jumped off her bed and rushed out the door. Draco wasn't in the Commons and his Head Boy quarters door was shut, so Hermione decided to knock.

x x x x x x x x x x

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

Draco looked up from his Potions textbook with a frown. He shut the book and placed it on his night stand before getting off of his bed and walking towards the door. He opened it in one fluid motion and raised an eyebrow when he saw Hermione, her fist raised to knock again. "Yes, Granger?"

"Malfoy, I.. uhm.. I came to talk to you," Hermione began, staring at a point just above his shoulder.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I know that, Granger. You just stated the blatantly obvious."

Hermione bit her lip and felt the colour rising in her cheeks. "Well, Malfoy.. I," Hermione stuttered, her earlier confidence deserting her. "I.. uhm.. well, I want to know.."

"You want to know..?" Draco smirked at her nervousness.

"Iwanttoknowwhat'sgoingonbetweenyouandBlaise," Hermione garbled quickly, blushing. Draco quirked a perfect eyebrow.

"What, Granger? I didn't quite catch that."

Hermione took a deep breath. "I want to know.. what's going between you and.. uhm, Blaise."

Draco's expression quickly hardened, his eyes flashing. "It's none of your business, Granger."

Hermione glared at him, fuming. "Draco Malfoy, I have every right to know!"

"It's none of your business, Granger," Draco repeated, his tone sharper than before. He clearly thought it was the end of that discussion, but Hermione wasn't going to stand for it.

"I have every right to know, Malfoy!" she said, her eyes pleading. "I.. I know it's about.. me. And I want to know if I could.. uhm.. help," she finished awkwardly.

Hermione thought she saw Draco flinch, but brushed it away as his stony facade reappeared in a split second. "Do you really think you'd want to help, Granger?" he asked her quietly. "Would you really want to help once you found out what all this commotion is about?"

Hermione bit her lip. "I'll need to know the problem to try and fix it, right?"

Draco stepped up close to her and Hermione froze. He brought his lips to her ear and whispered huskily, "We want you, Granger. We want you bad."

Hermione felt a shiver run down her spine at the contact of his hot breath on her ear."I.. I.. excuse me?"

"You heard me, Granger," Draco continued to whisper into her ear, sending shiver after shiver rolling down her spine, teasing her mercilessly. "We want you. But I want you more." Draco pulled back and ran his tongue against his lower lip, not breaking their electrifying eye contact.

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "W-what?!!"

Draco rolled his eyes. _Way to ruin the moment, Granger_.

"Really, Granger. I sincerely thought that you had more to your vocabulary than that."

Hermione blushed. "You.. you.. you want ME??!"

"It's not really that hard to believe, Granger. You're quite an attractive young woman now, you know," Draco stated with a shrug, flicking his bangs out of his eyes nonchalantly. Hermione's mouth hung open. Draco rolled his eyes. "Shut your mouth, Granger, it's very unattractive."

Hermione blinked and snapped her mouth shut in a huff, crossing her arms across her chest. "As if I care about what YOU think, Malfoy."

"You know I know you do, Granger. My opinion matters greatly in your social well-being."

Hermione scoffed. "Bragging isn't going to get you anywhere, Malfoy, so you can just give up."

"Oh, I know bragging won't get me anywhere, Granger. But I do know what will."

And for the second time in less than a week, Draco leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Hermione let out a muffled squeak in surprise. But this time, the kiss wasn't as fleeting and soft as the first one. It was more roguish and hungry, something that sent rolls of excitement coursing through Hermione's veins.

After several moments, Draco pulled back, smirking.

Hermione frowned. The suddenly cold on her lips startled her, and she longed to have Draco's lips on hers once more.

"Did that get me anywhere, Granger?" Draco inquired quietly.

"Uhm.. Ahh..," Hermione whimpered helplessly. She bowed her head and took a sudden interest in her feet.

"Did it?" Draco repeated, slightly more firmly. He reached out and gently lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Did it?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Yes," she answered softly.

Draco let go of her and nodded. "That's all I needed to hear."

Hermione stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do next. "Er.."

"Be mine, Granger," Draco said, clasping her hands together with his. His eyes bore into hers, making her jump.

"WHAT, MALFOY?!!"

"Be mine," Draco replied simply. "You have no reason not to."

"Nor do I have any reason to," Hermione replied hotly.

"Ahh, but you know you want to," Draco stated, tightening his grip on her hands.

Hermione had a mental battle with herself. _Oh, Merlin!! Malfoy wants me to be his girlfriend!! This can't be happening!! It cant!!_

_Oh, but it is. And you know that you're loving every second of it_, another voice retorted in her head. Hermione frowned to herself.

_I don't!! ..Oh, but it does give me a fuzzy feeling- Wait! No!!_

_Give in to it.. You know you want to.._, Hermione's inner voice tortured her.

_AGGHHH!! This is mad. WHO ARE YOU??_

_I'm you, silly. I'm the part of you that wants Draco Aquillis Malfoy so badly with every fiber in your being. He is, as Ginny says, one fine piece of ass, after all_.

_I am not thinking that.. I am not thinking that.. Ohhh.._

"Well, Granger?" Draco's voice pierced through her mental battle. She looked up, embarrassed.

"Uhm.."

"Really, Granger, must you debate with yourself about something as undebatable as this?"

_Just do it!!_ Hermione's inner voice screamed at her. She shut her eyes tight. _Uhm.. It's not like anything bad will come of this.. right? Right?? Right. Well.._

"Oh, alright, Malfoy," Hermione finally squeaked out. She was surprised to find him looking rather relieved at her decision. "But only under one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"No calling me your personal whore, or whatever it was that you called your sluts," Hermione said firmly, lifting her chin and staring at him.

"Aww, but, Granger-," Draco whined playfully.

"Malfoy."

"Fine."

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: You know the drill, folks.

Author's Note: Phew! I've finally gotten to the part when they're actually together. Be warned, though. This ain't no happy ending so soon. They're going to go through many hazardous bumps and turns that might just knock them off the path and back down to Singleton. Oh, well. Alright, alright. Well, first of all, I've noticed the increase in reviews stating that my chapters are too short. x Aww. Okay, then, I've taken action! Incase you guys didn't notice, this chapter is slightly longer than the others. If you compare this chapter's length with the previous chapter's length, there's a good-sized difference. x I just hope that I can keep it up. Haha.

Now, I'd like to thank my brilliantly wunnerful readers and reviewers. You make me feel so special. xD THANKYOUS to: **Abby**,** Danusha**,** Miss Loh**, **Gueneviere**, **I lUv JeSsE mCcArTnEy**, **dracoisthesexiestmanalive**, **-NH- Jackie - BL-**, **oneamsoundstage**, and **Beautiful-Me89**!

**Abby**: Thankyouu, thankyouu, I know I'm just sooo unimaginable as an old grandma. x)

**Danusha**: Er, thanks, DD. I feel your love. x) Ahaha! Thankyouuu.

**Miss Loh**: I'm rather slow in updating, I know, but I already stated on one of my previous Author's Notes that I'd be updating roughly once a week, due to homework loads. Not to mention I have no Science teacher, so I have to do the studying MYSELF. Huff. Lucky. .

**Gueneviere**: Ahaha!! Hermione? Date TWO people at once? Whoaa, that's so OOC, man! x) But it's cool. I might consider it.. ;)

**I lUv JeSsE mCcArTnEy**: Ahaha, thankyouuu for that wunnerful compliment. :) And no, I won't be abandoning this story!! Writing is my life, hon. I wouldn't abandon this!! Well, not in the near future at least. ;) Nahh, I'm just kidding.

**dracoisthesexiestmanalive**: Thankyouu, and I will do my best, I promise!!

**-NH- Jackie - BL-**: Thankyouu for reading this. :) I'm improving my chapter lengths, as you can see. Oh, and there will be more drama. By the truckloads, in fact. ;)

**oneamsoundstage**: She's just so confused, the poor girl. :) Thankyouu, it's nice to know that my readers like what they're reading. I do hope the quality is the same. I'll do my best to try and gradually make my chapters longer. It's just that each chapter has it's own specific plot, and I have to end a chapter at a certain place so that the next plot can take up the next chapter. Er. If I'm not making any sense, I'm sorry. x)

**Beautiful-Me89**: Thankyouuuu for reading!!

Thanks again to everyone who reviewed!! You guys make me feel really happy whenever I read your reviews.

Ttfn. 'sizzleberrylicious. xx ♥


	9. Chapter 9

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Nine

((Check out my latest **Dramione** one shot, **I'll Soon Cease To Remember Your Name**, and my first **Dramione** one shot, **His Thoughts**, and drop me some reviews, aight? I'm just raking in some reviews here))

x x x x x x x x x x

"Ginny! Thank Merlin I found you. I need to talk to you," Hermione let out a sigh of relief when she spotted her red-headed friend walking down the corridor with a gang of her sixth year friends. "Er.. In private. It's important."

Ginny nodded understandingly before turning to her friends. "I'll see you guys in class later, alright?"

The group of girls immediately dispersed into the crowd that surrounded them. The mid-class rush was mad; almost everyone was late for their next class! Hermione led Ginny into a more secluded corner of the hallway. Ginny turned to face her with a questioning look. "What's so important that it couldn't wait till lunch?" she inquired playfully.

"I.. uh.. well, you see, Gin..," Hermione blabbered. "I kinda.. uhm.. well, I'm.."

"Hermione, just spit it out!"

"I'mDracoMalfoy'sgirlfriend," Hermione mumbled quickly, gluing her words together. Ginny frowned.

"What? All I heard was Draco Malfoy."

"I'm.. Draco Malfoy's girlfriend," Hermione said in hushed tones. She glanced around at the students that filed past them and was glad to see what no one had overheard her. Ginny's blue eyes widened, her hand rushing up to clamp over her mouth. "Er, Ginny-"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, HERMIONE LEAH GRANGER!!!" Ginny squealed excitedly, a bit too loud for Hermione's taste. Hermione winced as almost the whole crowd turned to stare at Ginny's sudden outburst and smacked her forehead.

"Gin-"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ANY SOONER?!! I, AS YOUR BEST FRIEND, DESERVE TO KNOW ALL THESE JUICY BITS AND PIECES!!"

"Really, Ginny, calm down!" Hermione snapped quickly, her face turning bright red in embarrassment. "There are so many people around us!"

Ginny grinned sheepishly. "Whoops. Sorry, 'Mione."

The crowd continued to stare. Ginny turned on them impatiently and said, annoyed, "What are you still looking at? There's nothing else to see, people. Move on! Get going! Skedadle! Shoo!"

Hermione smiled as the students began to hurry away towards their next class. Ginny turned to face her again and grinned. "So, 'Mione, tell me all the details!"

"Er..," Hermione shifted uncomfortably. "Uhm, Gin? Don't you have to be in class now?"

Ginny gave her a look that clearly stated that she wasn't going to budge until Hermione spilled all the juice. "I can afford to skip Potions. It's not like it's important, anyway. And Snape's a git. So, SPILL."

_Oh, bugger. I guess I tried_, Hermione thought sorrowfully. _Nothing too bad about telling Ginny, though, I suppose. She's my best friend! I should be able to trust her, of course. Yeah, why shouldn't I tell her? Yeah!_

"If you really must know, there wasn't much flare in his proposal," Hermione bit her lip at the memory. "All he did was say "be mine, Granger". Quite boring, really."

"He must really think that he has power over you to get you to accept with that," Ginny rolled her eyes. "Typical Malfoy attitude. Oh, well. So.. any news on Blaise?"

"Actually, I haven't seen him in awhile," Hermione frowned, pondering the thought. "Hmm.. I wonder where he's gone.."

Ginny's face lit up. "I saw him earlier just outside the Astronomy Tower! Gee, I hope he's still there. Well, 'Mione, seeing as you're not interesting in Blaise anymore, I guess you wouldn't mind if I..?"

Hermione snorted. "Be my guest, Gin. You could marry him if you wanted to."

Ginny beamed. "Alright, then! Well, I'll be seeing you, 'Mione!"

And off she went, skidding around the corner. Hermione stared after her, grinning.

"Best of luck to you, Blaise Zabini. You're gonna need heaps of it if Ginny Weasley's on your tail."

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione sat at the mahogany writing desk in the Head Commons, scratching away at the parchment with her new quill. She had a mountain of extra credit that she planned to have completed by that night, and she was dreadfully behind schedule. She groaned in frustration as her wrist began to ache, slapping her forehead dramatically. The tall oak grandfather clock that stood off in a corner of the room struck midnight, making Hermione feel even worse than she already did.

She was painfully aware of a set of steely grey eyes boring holes into her back as she scribbled away. She knew his posture on the tasseled red and silver armchair without even having to turn around. His arm was slung over the chair back, and his feet over the left arm rest, tapping his fingers against the polished wood of the coffee table as he read his latest novel.

It was always the same, anyway.

Hermione frowned as the incessant finger-tapping grew louder and louder, until it seemed to her as if he was banging his fists against the table, trying to destroy it till only a heap of splinters were left. She tried her best to block it out, but then gave up, sighing exasperatedly as she dropped her quill, jumped out of her seat and pointed at Draco accusingly.

"Stop," she commanded. He looked up from his book and raised an eyebrow. "Now."

The drumming stopped, and Draco put away his book. "Someone's in a rather foul mood today," he commented, lazily swinging his legs off the arm rest. Hermione blushed.

"Oh, sorry. I shouldn't have been so rude.."

"I think you need a medication," Draco announced, gracefully lifting himself off the arm chair in one fluid motion. He made his way over to her and smirked.

Hermione knitted her eyebrows together, frowning. "Medication? Excuse me-"

"Come, Hermione," Draco said, the name rolling off his tongue in a rather awkward stance. He frowned for a split second before flashing her his charming trademark half smirk. "Let's fly."

Her eyebrows shot up. "WHAT?! FLY?! MALFOY, YOU KNOW VERY WELL THAT I CANNOT, WILL NOT, GET ON A BROOM, EVEN IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON-"

"You're so wound tight that it's sexy, Granger," Draco drawled. He smirked naughtily, mimicking a cat's meow. "Reowr."

Hermione blushed heavily. "Uhm.."

"I swear on myself, Granger. I won't let you fall," he said calmly. "I promise you that."

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that I'm.. well.."

"Afraid of heights, are we?"

Hermione grinned sheepishly. "Well, yes, actually. I've hated Ferris wheels and roller coasters since I was little."

Draco frowned. "Ferris wheels? Roller coasters?"

"Uhh.. Muggle contraptions. Well, it involves moving through the air.. High up off the ground," Hermione shivered at the memory.

"It's not like I'll be playing Quidditch with you or something, Granger. We'll take it slow and see how it goes, alright?"

"You do know that even Harry and Ron haven't gotten me on a broom before, right?" Hermione stated, avoiding his question.

Draco grinned. "They haven't gotten you in bed, either, so that's nothing to compare."

Hermione's eyes widened. "DRACO AQUILLIS MALFOY!! You have NOT gotten me in bed!!" she cried huffily, crossing her arms in front of her chest and lifting her chin.

"Not yet, anyway-"

"MALFOY."

"What?"

"Shut up."

"So.. What do you say? Give it a try, Granger. My broom's obedient enough not to bite."

"Malfoy.."

"Don't you trust me, Granger? You know I'd do nothing to hurt you, right?"

"You have hurt me, actually. Several times per meeting, in fact. Woo hoo, yay me."

"Hermione, that was the young, foolish, stupid me. I'm the older, hotter, more sensible me. Isn't that a change for the better?"

"If I die a painful and bloody death, you will be the one that I'll haunt till the world crumbles," Hermione sighed, rolling her eyes. Draco smirked.

"That's a yes, I take it?"

Hermione scowled. "Yes."

x x x x x x x x x x

"Uhm, Malfoy.. I'm starting to have second thoughts about this," Hermione said nervously as she tentatively followed Draco, who was strutting proudly with his gleaming new Firebolt in hand, out onto the Quidditch pitch. The short grass was dewy, even at such a late hour, and the pitch was just about as deserted as a grave yard. The three tall golden hoops towered high above them, making Hermione feel small. The sliver of milky white moon was barely visible behind an ominous black cloud.

"Granger, there's nothing to have second thoughts about," Draco drawled, waving his hand nonchalantly in the air. "I've already promised you that I won't let you break your pretty nose."

"Well, I know, yes, but still.. It's rather mortifying, riding a broomstick for the first time," Hermione replied, slowing down her pace. She was going to delay their night time flying lessons as much as possible.

"You'll have the time of your life up there, Granger, believe me. It's like a whole new view, a whole new world. Fantastic, if I do say so myself."

When they had reached the centre of the large pitch, Draco stopped and turned around to face her, waiting for her to catch up as she slowly trudged along. When she had finally caught up with him, he calmly held out his broom in front of him, Hermione watching in morbid fascination as it levitated in the air. In a swift movement so quick Hermione had nearly missed it, Draco swept one leg up over the broomstick and seated himself elegantly on the broom's sturdy polished handle. He held his hand out to Hermione, who faltered at first. "Come on, Granger. Nothing to it. Just swing your leg over. I'll help you up."

With a trembling sigh, Hermione grasped Draco's offered hand and carefully pulled herself up, slowly raising one leg over the broomstick and flashing Draco a milky white thigh in the process. Hermione blushed considerably when Draco raised an eyebrow at her. Her cheeks still shone in the dark night as she adjusted her posture, letting her arms fall awkwardly at her sides.

Draco turned his head around to look at her. "If you'd prefer not to fall off the broom the moment it takes off, I'd suggest you put your arms around my waist."

Hermione grinned sheepishly at her silliness before wrapping her arms around his lean waist, pressing herself up against his warm form for comfort, inconspicuously breathing in his delicious fresh cologne. She felt safer in such close proximity with him and hugged him closer.

She nearly fell over when she felt his muscles contracting under his smooth skin as he gripped the handle of the broom. _Whoo.. what a strange feeling.._

"Ready?" Draco asked, turning around to glance at her startled face. Hermione simply nodded, too excited and scared to speak.

"Here we go, then!"

Hermione let out a very un-Hermione-like squeal as the broomstick suddenly flew forward. She squeezed her eyes tight, feeling the adrenaline pumping through her body as the howling wind rushed past her, the toes of her shiny black shoes still grazing the pitch's grass. She tightened her grip on Draco when she felt her feet leaving the grass, not having to open her eyes to realise that they were rising higher into the sky.

"Open your eyes, Granger!" Draco hollered back at her.

"I'd rather not, thank you!"

"It's a wonderful view!"

Hermione buried her head deeper into Draco's back, causing him to arch forward slightly. The broom slowed down to a pace more suitable for the horrified Hermione.

"Come on, Granger, open your eyes! I promise it's perfectly safe."

Hermione slowly lifted her head out of the warm nook in Draco's coal black robes and lifted one eyelid. Up came the other one.

Hermione gasped.

The view was magnificent. The moon, which had revealed itself during their take off, was large, full and perfectly round, glowing with a peaceful aura. The endless onyx sky was littered with millions of beautiful stars that twinkled, sparkling like diamonds. At the horizon, clouds hung down in gossamer folds, barely visible if not for the moonlight. The faraway snow-capped mountains added a sense of fairytale bliss to the view, capturing Hermione breathless. The light breeze that entertained them blew through her corkscrew curls, her face flushed from the excitement, lips parted slightly in surprise.

"It's beautiful," Hermione stated softly. "Like nothing I've ever seen before."

Draco turned around to face her and smiled at her enchanted expression. "It's worth getting on a broom, isn't it? You don't get views like this from down below."

To Hermione's sadness, Draco started to lower the broomstick. Slowly, they flew downwards, and finally, Hermione's feet touched the grass once more. Draco leaped off the broom and helped Hermione down, grinning. "That wasn't so bad, now, was it?"

She looked up towards the moon and was upset to find that the view just wasn't as breathtaking as it was up in the air.

Hermione smiled sadly. "No, I suppose it wasn't."

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable. Aight?

Author's Note: Aww, I just couldn't help myself. I simply had to add a little flying scene in the end. Just to show that Hermione's bond with Draco is.. er, well, pure. She's never flown before, and he's the first person she's agreed to fly with. She's even rejected Harry and Ron. ;) Moving on. I've made this chapter slightly longer than the previous one! I'm improving and keeping to my word, as you can see. Haha.

Thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou thankyou very much to those wonderful souls out there who read my story and actually bother to review!! **Abby**, **dreamerinreality**, **Silly.Pink.Rabbits.Eat.Only.My.Left.Sock**, **Beautiful-Me89**, **LonelyBeat**, **mesaqt**, **whisperslove**, **firebirdflame**, **oneamsoundstage**, **dracoisthesexiestmanalive**, **tempest365**, **Gueneviere**, **I lUv JeSsE mCcArTnEy**, **BA de Danone**, and **-NH- Jackie - BL-**!!

**Abby**: Thankyou, Abby, I know you will. ;) You WANT to help your mum paint the gate? Hey, I want to, too!!

**dreamerinreality**: Thanks! Ahaha, your aunt wouldn't last a minute with me. I'm ALWAYS laughing:)

**Silly.Pink.Rabbits.Eat.Only.My.Left.Sock**: Thankyouuu!

**Beautiful-Me89**: Haha, thanks. I thought it was a Hermione-like thing to do, I guess. Spill your thoughts to your cat. I wish I had a cat to talk to. ;)

**LonelyBeat**: Thankyou very much!

**mesaqt**: Thanks!

**whisperslove**: Haha! Aggressive Draco.. Mmm. ;) Blaise acts like an important character, but in truth, he ain't. :( Awwwh.

**firebirdflame**: Haha, thanks a lot! A happy ending, ey? Hmm. I'll consider it. :) I've already reviewed your story, and I liked it a lot. :) Even if I've only read the first chapter. Sorry, I'm pretty busy at the moment. I promise I'll read the rest soon, though.

**oneamsoundstage**: FOUR chapters of a love triangle?? I was going for three, but nevermind. ;) No, I'm just joking, don't worry. There's no love triangle involved.. yet. I'll let my mood decide if I want Blaise to interfere with their happiness. It could add fuel to the fire..

**dracoisthesexiestmanalive**: Nice to know that you liked the length, thanks. :)

**tempest365**: Aww, thanks for the compliment. :) I appreciate it a lot.

**Gueneviere**: Haha! I can just imagine Hermione picking up an annoyed Crookshanks and talking to him! Hee. Sexy, outright Draco rocks. ;)

**I lUv JeSsE mCcArTnEy**: Hee, thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked it.

**BA de Danone**: I'm pretty much neutral with your feelings for Blaise. You hate him, love him, don't give a damn about his bloody arse. :) He's just there to add tension and obstacles to the Dramione-ness of it all, you know? Haha. Thanks!

**-NH- Jackie - BL-**: Thankyouuus very much! Of course there's drama on the way! Like I mentioned before, it's coming by the truckloads. ;)

Ahh. Phewww. Done. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed! You guys make me feel like doing a dance around the living room and singing at the top of my lungs. Hee. Of course, I might be admitted to a mental asylum, and that wouldn't be much fun, now, would it?

Ttfn, sizzleberrylicious. xx


	10. Chapter 10

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Ten

((**HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY**!! I hope your days is filled with showers of red red roses and heart-shaped chocolates. ;) As a special Valentine's Day.. err, _thing_.. I've released a new ficlet! **The Opposite Of Love Is Indifference **is a **JamesxLily** one-shot now available on my page. Please check it out and leave me some reviews, okay? Thanks a lot!))

**WARNING: **Language in this chapter may not be suitable for younger children. You've been warned.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione groggily made her way into the Great Hall. She had been up nearly half the night in bed, pondering over thoughts that consisted only of a platinum-haired Slytherin Prince. Sleep had hardly graced her for more than an hour before she was forced to awake and go about her day's schedule.

Stumbling blindly towards the Gryffindor table, Hermione was oblivious to the many pairs of eyes that followed her, whispering behind their hands to their neighbours. Hermione slid into the empty seat across from Harry and Ron, a smile frozen in place. "Morning, Harry, Ron," she greeted them automatically. As if on auto-pilot, Hermione reached out for some sausages, mash, and toast. Absent-mindedly, she pierced a particularly meaty sausage with her fork and brought it to her mouth, chewing thoughtfully.

"Hermione?" Harry prodded lightly, his face etched with concern. "Are.. are you alright?"

She looked up and gave him a reassuring smile. "Yes, Harry, I'm fine, thank you. And you?"

Harry frowned at Hermione's awkwardly.. _polite_ behaviour. "Err.."

Hermione turned to face Ron, a false smile plastered across her face. "Ron?"

He merely scowled, stabbing his baked potato with his knife, muttering some unintelligible hex over and over again. A myriad of baked potatoes were balancing dangerously on his golden platter, mostly stabbed to potato-shaped piles of mush.

"Uhm, Harry, I think Ron's gone a bit..," Hermione twirled her finger next to her head, indicating that she thought Ron mad. Harry stared at his fingers nervously. "Harry?"

"'Mione, word got around school that you were.. uhh," Harry started, fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat. "That you were.. rendezvousing with.. Malfoy?"

Hermione's mouth fell open, all thoughts of going back under her warm goose-feathered covers for another forty winks immediately vaporising.

"Last night.. On a broom.. Flying?!"

Hermione stared into Harry's bewildered, confused, embarrassed expression and winced. "I meant to tell you, Harry.."

"Oh, so you meant to tell Harry, then! What about me, Hermione? What about poor old Ron Weasley? I've been trying to get your arse on a broom since first year, and you merely snubbed me, threatened me with hexes, or nagged me! And along traipses the Amazing Jumping Ferret, and he gets you on his broom in like, what?" Ron garbled sardonically, seething, as he snapped his fingers above his head to clarify his point. The whole Great Hall stopped their animated chatter to stare. Even the row of professors had stopped discussing to watch this outburst with unavoidable interest.

Hermione's lip quivered as she said quietly, "I didn't mean.. I'd never.. He.. I just.. You..," her voice faltered as her head began to hurt. She dropped her head into her hands to stop her head from throbbing.

Harry gingerly rubbed Ron's back. "Calm down, Ron. Your anger isn't going to help matters.."

Ron glared at Hermione's bushy brown hair before stabbing his potato with his spoon so hard that the potato exploded, bits of mushy yellow substance flying in every direction.

Hermione slowly lifted her head and sighed. She looked around the Great Hall. All eyes were on her. The Gryffindors stared at her with utmost disgust. How could she even think of betraying them by waltzing off with the leader of their enemy house? The Ravenclaws weren't much help, either. They peered at her over the tops of their books; _You should have more brains than that_ stamped on their foreheads in neon pink. The Hufflepuffs were more sympathetic, but not entirely. They shot Hermione withering, nervous glances, as if they were frightened of her. Some had the courtesy to flash her a weak smile. Unwillingly, Hermione's eyes drifted over to the Slytherin table, decked with silver and green. The table's snooty occupants glared at her with their noses up, hatred practically radiating off their obnoxious forms. Hermione was surprised and relieved to find only Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini staring at her with a blank expression. Pansy's eyes were soft with sympathy, but Blaise's were hard with bitter feelings. Hermione scanned the table again, a frown creasing her forehead. _Where's Malfoy?_

As if on cue, Draco burst through the large double doors that led into the Great Hall with as much poise as he could muster. All eyes swivelled away from Hermione and focused on him as he sauntered down towards the Gryffindor table. He seated himself next to Hermione and casually draped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Hermione turned to an amusing shade of brick red.

With a roar of fury, Ron made a move to leap across the table and strangle Draco then and there. But before anyone could cry "bloody murder", Harry had grabbed the back of Ron's robes, restraining him from causing bodily harm to Draco. Ron's arms flailed forward, stretching as far as he could to at least scratch Draco's perfect porcelain features.

"Don't, Ron, it's not worth it," Harry said, pulling him back. Ron let out a menacing growl before resorting to grabbing a handful of sausages and stabbing them one by one, imagining each of them as Draco's nether regions as he cruelly chopped them into miniscule pieces.

"What's going on, Granger?" Draco asked, quirking an eyebrow and sending hearts fluttering. Hermione stared down at her half-eaten breakfast, forlornly.

"Someone found out about us flying last night," she said simply.

"And?"

"Well.. Harry and Ron, and pretty much everyone else in Hogwarts, disagrees with our.. uhh.. relationship," Hermione finished awkwardly.

Draco glanced around at all the staring, dumbstruck faces that seemed to be glued to their every move. _How pathetic. _He spotted several girls glaring daggers at Hermione and frowned.

"They don't control what we feel nor do, Granger," Draco rolled his eyes. "Just ignore them. They'll find something else to single out soon enough."

Hermione bit her lip in response. Her nervousness was apparent. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a flurry of fluttering wings and high-pitched screeches.

The post had arrived.

Dozens of owls of all sizes, colours, and breeds flew in from the opened windows and made a bee-line for their targets. Students hollered as they grabbed hot-off-the-press copies of the Daily Prophet, oddly-shaped packages from home, and scrolls of parchment letters.

To her surprise, Hermione was nearly barrelled over by a huge flock of owls, all hooting and nipping each other to get to their recipient first. Hermione's eyes widened as a stack of bright red Howlers were dropped into her lap along with her usual copy of the Daily Prophet. "Malfo-"

Before she could finish her sentence, one of the Howlers at the bottom of the pile started to shiver and shot up into the air, causing the other Howlers to scatter in a mess around Hermione's seat.

"HERMIONE WHATEVER-YOUR-MIDDLE-NAME-IS GRANGER!!" the Howler shrieked loudly. The whole Hall turned to stare once more at the commotion. "HOW DARE YOU STEAL MY BELOVED DRACKIEPOO FROM ME?!!"

At that, Draco frowned, scanning the crowd for any suspicious faces. What did this insolent girl mean by _her_ "Drackiepoo"?!

"YOU'RE AN EVIL, STUPID, CONNIVING BITCH, THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE!!" the Howler continued to shriek. "YOU PUT A SPELL ON MY BELOVED, MY SOUL MATE, MY LIFE PARTNER!! YOU TRICKED HIM INTO THINKING THAT HE LOVED YOU!! YOU SELFISH SLUT!! YOU UGLY, MOTHER-FUCKING MUDBLOOD!!"

Draco's eyes widened. He turned to look at Hermione and how she was taking all this. Her face had gone white, and her expression was that of pure shock as she stared up at the spitting Howler. Her eyes had glazed over - was she on the verge of tears?

The Howler let out a long, glass-shattering shriek before bursting into flames.

Before Draco could say anything to comfort Hermione, a second Howler had jumped up to make its presence known.

"REALLY, HERMIONE GRANGER, IF YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH STEALING MY FUTURE HUSBAND-" Draco gaped in surprise. _WHAT?! _"-FROM ME, YOU'RE TERRIBLY WRONG!! I KNOW YOUR SCHEMING LITTLE PLANS; YOUR DARK MAGIC PRACTICES THAT YOU'VE USED AGAINST MY DARLING!! I'LL STOP YOU BEFORE YOU GO TOO FAR, MUDBLOOD!! YOU JUST REMEMBER THAT!! YOU MAY BE AN ANNOYINGLY INCESSANT KNOW-IT-ALL, BUT I'LL BE ABLE TO OUTSMART YOU ANY DAY!!"

The Howler leaped forward until it was just a hair's breadth away from Hermione's shock frozen face. "SO YOU'D BETTER RELEASE MY DARLING DRACO FROM YOUR DIRTY LITTLE MUDBLOOD PAWS BEFORE THIS GETS VIOLENT, BROOMSTICK-UP-YOUR-ASS PERSONAL!!"

Hermione stared as the Howler disintegrated, falling into a heap of fine black dust at her feet.

In a flash, Draco was at her side, hugging her close to him. The third Howler jumped into the air and burst out in a sing-song voice, "GRANGER IS A SLUT, GRANGER IS A SLUT, WE ALL KNOW SHE'S GOT WARTS SHE HIDES, AND UNDER TABLES AND CHAIRS SHE LIES, IN WAIT OF HER NEXT PREY SHE CRIES, GRANGER IS A SLUT!!" Draco wasn't very impressed by the sender's creative abilities, and it showed clearly on his face as it contorted into a mask of dissaprovingness. "DRACO AQUILLIS MALFOY IS MINE, HERMIONE LEAH GRANGER!! THE MOMENT WE GRADUATE, I'LL BECOME MRS. DRACO AQUILLIS MALFOY!! AND YOU CAN DO ALL THE BLACK WITCHCRAFT IN THE WORLD, BUT YOU CAN NEVER CHANGE FATE!! DO YOU HEAR ME, DRACO, DARLING?! FATE BROUGHT US TOGETHER!! DISPOSE OF YOUR DISGUSTING MUDBLOOD FILTH AND WE'LL RUN AWAY TO A DISTANT LAND, RAISE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN, AND GROW OLD TOGETHER!!"

Draco scrunched up his nose in disgust.

"DON'T DENY IT, FREAK!! YOU'VE POISONED, BRAINWASHED, HYPNOTISED MY LOVE!! YOU'RE TOO UGLY FOR ANYONE TO WANT YOU, SO YOU DECIDE TO STEAL OTHER PEOPLE'S ROMANCES!! WELL, YOU CLAMMY PILE OF FUCKING BITCH-SCUM, YOU'D BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK!!"

A maniacal cackle followed after, and then, the Howler bit itself to shreds, until it was just strips of useless red paper floating around aimlessly in the air.

Draco was startled when Hermione suddenly jumped out of her seat and rushed out of the Great Hall. The crowds of students started to laugh and snicker and tease as she weaved her way in between all the House tables. They jeered at her, called her names, and insulted her blood. The Great Hall continued to erupt in anti-Hermione blabber even after she had safely made it out of the Hall.

"QUIET!" Draco bellowed. The students immediately fell silent. They watched him carefully as he seethed with anger, watching as his quicksilver eyes flashed dangerously.

Then, without another word, Draco leaped over the House tables and sprinted out the door, running from the Hall and after Hermione.

x x x x x x x x x x

_Where is she?_

Draco had caught the ends of Hermione's robes billowing just around the corner as he exited the Great Hall, but had lost her the moment he skidded around the bend. She had somehow disappeared. That particular corridor was packed with empty classrooms, and that corridor led to more corridors with more classrooms and broom closets and what not. She could be anywhere; Gryffindor Tower, the Heads Commons, the library, Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, the Grounds.

Draco balled his fists. He'd search the whole school if he had to. He had to find her. He was the cause of all this nonsense. Those jealous girls had no right to send Howlers to Hermione. Because of him, Hermione had been embarrassed and humiliated in front of the whole school. He had to find her, console her, tell her that he was sorry beyond imagination. That he'd track down those evil girls if he had to. He'd do anything to see her smile again.

_Anything._

He pushed open a random classroom door and peeked inside. "Her-Hermione? Are you in here?"

Silence.

"No, wrong place," he muttered to himself. He moved on to the next door and did the same. Still no response. The next few doors weren't giving him a fruitful success, either.

Finally, he poked his head into one abandoned classroom and immediately spotted the bundle of trembling, cold Hermione, huddled in the back corner of the class. He rushed over to her, his shoes making a loud clacking noise on the old marble as he walked. He sat down next to her on the dusty floor, not caring if a Flobberworm had spat there, and wrapped his arms around her tight.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione felt a pair of strong, warm arms encircle her and pull her towards something solid. _Malfoy?_

She looked up, her eyesight blurred from her unfallen tears. She immediately recognised his silky blond locks and let out a huge sniff, throwing herself at him and hugging him tight, sobbing uncontrollably into the lapels of his robes.

_Stop it, Hermione! You're going to leave a stain! What will he think of you if you leave a trail of snot on his nice, clean clothes?_

She pulled back, embarrassed, and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. Sensing her discomfort, Draco pulled her back into his embrace, massaging circles into her back and running his fingers through her hair, whispering sweet, sweet nothings into her ear.

After several minutes of crying herself dry, Hermione calmed down enough for Draco to begin his apology.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," Draco muttered into her hair, breathing in the delicious smell of her green apple shampoo. "I never meant for those things to happen. Those girls were mean-spirited and brainless. It's all my fault that they said those horrible things to you. It's not your fault, Hermione."

She stared up at him, her eyes red and puffy from all the sobbing and her cheeks streaked with haywire tear stains.

"I know it's not my fault, Draco," she said quietly. "But they don't. And I know they're going to keep on doing this until we're separated."

Draco exhaled. "We'll think of something. Besides, they'll all find something else to flame about soon. It's all just a thing-of-the-moment to them."

"How long will it take?" Her voice was raspy as she spoke, having cried her throat sore.

"Not too long," Draco grimaced. "It'll hurt, that's for sure. But I'll protect you, Hermione. I've promised you that. I never break my promises. I'll guard you with my life if I have to."

Hermione shook her head slowly, smiling despondently. "No, Draco. I don't think that will be necessary. I don't want you to end up hurting yourself. We'll just end this now, and everything will be all better."

Draco's eyes widened. "But, no, Hermione! We.. we can't!" he stuttered. He took a second to compose himself, breathing in deep and exhaling, before continuing. "Just give it some time, Hermione. I'm sure that after several days, they'll get bored of targeting us and move on to something else."

"I don't like getting hurt and humiliated like that, Draco," she whispered, biting her lip as a fresh flood of tears threatened to take over.

"I know you don't, Hermione. But, please. Just give it a few days. It'll wear off. I promise."

Hermione stared into his eyes, imploring him. _It hurts.._

"I.. I.."

She let out a long sigh.

"Alright."

x x x x x x x x x x

"Malfoy! You're late!" Hermione chastised as Draco strode into the Room of Requirement, which had been transformed into a study room, artfully decorated to suit her taste. She sat impatiently at a large polished oak table that stood in the middle of the carpeted room, a mess of parchments, quills, ink bottles, and books scattered on top. The antique oil paintings that hung from the maroon-painted walls depicted scenes of love, war, grief. An end table stood off in the corner of the room, carrying a glass pitcher of cool water and several frosted chalices. Sheaths of red and silver silk hung from the large French windows, held back by threads of gold to reveal a magnificent view of the glittering night sky.

"Sorry, Granger, Snape wanted me in the dungeons for a N.E.W.Ts briefing," Draco explained, dropping himself easily into one of the cushioned, high-backed chairs next to Hermione.

"A N.E.W.Ts briefing?! How come I wasn't invited?!"

Silence.

"Never mind, don't answer that," Hermione grumbled, returning her attention to the messily-scrawled numbers on the parchment in front of her. She tapped her feathery quill against her chin in thought.

Hermione had conducted a last minute meeting to discuss the Debutante Ball. Professor McGonagall had nearly exploded when she found out that they hadn't even lifted a finger yet.

"The Ball is a very important event, Miss Granger!" she had lectured, shrill. They stood awkwardly in the middle of the corridor, students staring as they hurried past. No one liked to be in the presence of a hysterical Transfiguration professor; who knew what she might turn them into! "Although it may be almost a year away, it signifies the coming-out to society of the female population of Hogwarts! If this Ball does not carry out well, Miss Granger, the future of my students will be at stake!"

At that point, Hermione had been certain that McGonagall had gone off her rocker.

"Be of some help, Malfoy, and make sense of all this mumbo jumbo Professor McGonagall left me with," Hermione shoved the numeral-choked parchments in Draco's direction, annoyed. "I'm not even sure if this has anything to do with Hogwarts!"

Draco inspected the numbers and raised an eyebrow. "These are the security numbers to the most private deposits in Gringotts, Granger. How did this land up here?"

Hermione looked flustered. "I knew it! I knew they had nothing to do with Hogwarts! Silly Professor McGonagall, leaving me with such personal informatio- What are you doing, Malfoy?!"

"Oh, nothing, Granger. Just disposing of this nonsense," he shrugged carelessly as he held the tip of his wand to the thick stack of parchments. Before Hermione could even register that thought, he had set fire to the most precious set of numbers Hermione had ever set eyes on. "_Incendio_!"

Hermione gaped as she watched the parchments catch fire and burn, their corners shrivelling up into curls of burnt black ash. When Draco thought the parchment had been charred enough, he muttered a small, "_Aguamenti_," and watched in boredom as the little stream of water put out the growing orange flames. If he had been surprised by the heap of soggy ash that greeted him, he didn't show it as he lazily flicked his wand again. "_Scourgify_." With a little _pop_, the ash disappeared, startling Hermione who had been staring at it forlornly.

"Malfoy, you do realise that what you just disposed of could have been important Ministry documents?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Believe me, Granger. Gringotts is bound to have more where that came from. They practically distribute this stuff, for Merlin's sake."

Hermione frowned as the clock struck eleven. They had been here for quite some time, and yet they still haven't made any amount of progress.

She sighed before straightening up in her seat.

"Alright, listen up, Malfoy. I'll take care of the decorations and entertainment. You can think up designs for flyers or posters or whatever."

Draco nodded his agreement. _At least she's back to her normal attitude. Though normalcy is subject to change with the likes of Hermione Granger. Ha. I'm just glad she's not crying herself into pillars anymore. That bump on the head must've hurt quite a bit.._

"Whatever, Granger."

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor do I own whatever recognisables you somehow spotted. Now, vaporise.

Author's Note: Aww.. Poor Hermione!! She's being so mistreated. And they've hardly been going out for more than a day, either. At least she's not throwing in the towel so soon, right? My, that sounded wrong. Ey!! Moving on, I've updated this chapter sooner than expected! I actually finished writing on the night I posted chapter nine, but I had some editing and BETAing to do, so yeah. Onwards! My chapter lengths are improving with each chapter! Yesh! I feel the power. x)

Thanks very much to all of my brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT reviewers:) **Abby**, **firebirdflame**, **-FALLEN FOR ANGEL-**, **LonelyBeat**, **tempest365**, **AmBEr** and **dracoisthesexiestmanalive**!!

**Abby**: Wow, Abby. That review should win an Oscar. Bravo, Einstein.

**firebirdflame**: Haha, you're welcome! It was my pleasure, really, no worries. Still pondering that happy ending.. ;)

**-FALLEN FOR ANGEL-**: Thanks! And yeahhh, of course I will!

**LonelyBeat**: Will do.

**tempest365**: Aww, thanks. I'm feeling all fuzzy again. x) I'm updating as soon as I can!

**AmBEr**: Hello, Sook Yan! Thanks for reading and reviewing, yeah. Err, I don't think I could rewrite Harry Potter. I'd probably kill him off in the first paragraph. xD Hehe. Ohh.. Chosen Ones' agent, ey? Whooo.. what a lovely offer! I ACCEPT!! xD Haha. You've made me such a goof, great grandmother. I'm embarrassing myself online. :)

**dracoisthesexiestmanalive**: Ahaha, thanks! Am loving your support loads. :)

That's about it. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, I love all your reviews. Haha, I feel SPECIAL. x)

Ttfn, su yin. xx


	11. Chapter 11

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Eleven

x x x x x x x x x x

"Morning, Hermione!" Ginny called cheerfully when she saw Hermione approach the Gryffindor table the next morning. Hermione had large bags under her eyes and looked tired as she sighed, dropping herself inelegantly into the empty seat beside Ginny.

"Morning, Ginny," she forced a smile as she tapped the rim of her golden chalice lightly with her wand, watching with bored interest as it immediately filled up with pumpkin juice. "Merlin, I don't feel well today.."

"Didn't have a good night's rest, then, I take it?" Ginny inquired, raising her eyebrows as she bit into her heavily-buttered toast. Hermione groaned.

"No, not at all," she mumbled, bringing the chalice up to her lips and taking a big gulp. Her dark eyes bore into Ginny's cerulean ones. "What's up with you lately? You seem to be in a very good mood."

Ginny blushed. "Well.. I talked to Blaise yesterday."

Hermione nearly dropped her chalice, a grin plastered across her tired features. "Really? Wow, Ginny, that's wonderful! What were you guys talking about?"

"Well, nothing in particular. We bumped into each other on the Grounds, so we took a walk. He kept asking about _you_ for some reason, though.."

Hermione's forehead creased into a frown as she knitted her eyebrows together. "Really, now? What did he ask about me?"

"He wanted to know if you were.. '_seriously_ romanticallyattached'to anyone; in particular, a certain grey-eyed Slytherin blond?"

Hermione's eyes widened. "W-what?! Gin, what did you tell him?"

"I just told him that of course you were serious about your relationship. He acted pretty worried about your welfare after.. uhm, yesterday's.. activities."

Hermione opened her mouth to retort when suddenly, a pair of familiar lips swooped down and kissed her on the cheek. Astonished, she whipped her head around to find a smirking Draco Malfoy staring down at her, his steely grey eyes mirthful.

"Morning, Granger," he greeted simply as he slid into the vacant seat beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist as he filled his chalice and took a sip. Ginny gave them a queer look.

"You know, guys, it's rather odd how you're both still on surname terms, even after you became an item," she stated matter-of-factly. Hermione frowned.

Draco simply grinned. "Very well, Weaslette, let me rephrase," he turned to Hermione. "Morning, Hermione."

"Morning, Mal- Draco," Hermione corrected herself, blushing. Ginny smiled.

"That's better."

x x x x x x x x x x

"Draco," Hermione muttered, nudging him as they walked down the corridor towards the Charms classroom. Everyone they passed shot them dirty, disapproving looks or whispered obscenities behind their palms to their neighbours. Hermione held her chin high as she marched past them. "I think it might take awhile before they get used to it."

"Don't worry, Hermione, they're just jealous," Draco said simply with a smirk. As if to prove his point, he grazed his lips against her cheek, emitting a gasp from not only Hermione, but a group of nattering girls that were none-too-discreetly tailing them. If Draco were to walk even a fraction slower, they'd most definitely step on his robes, judging by the closeness of their proximity. Hermione shot him a look; she wasn't too keen on public displays of affection, after all.

"Dra-"

"See, I told you they were just jealous," Draco grinned, leaning in to kiss her again. "Like I said, Hermione, don't worry. They'll get over it soon enough. Gossip whores, they are.."

"DRA-"

"Hermione, really, I'm quite certain-"

"DRACO!"

The hallway turned silent at Hermione's sudden outburst. Draco stopped walking, causing the group of giggling girls to almost crash head-first into him. In a flurry of hair and robes, they sped off, all the while glaring daggers in Hermione's general direction. Draco snorted in a very un-Malfoy-like manner at their juvenile behaviour and turned to her with a perfectly cocked eyebrow. "Yes, Hermione?"

"Err..," Hermione fidgeted, before leaning in to whisper into his ear, "No PDA, please."

Rolling his eyes good-naturedly, Draco continued to stride, Hermione rushing to catch up. "Whatever, Hermione. As your royal Highness wishes."

x x x x x x x x x x

"Miss Granger!"

Hermione quickly looked up from her Advanced Charms text to see tiny Professor Flitwick frowning down at her as he levitated unsteadily in front of the desk she shared with Draco. She hurriedly put away her text before turning her full attention to the clearly upset Professor. "Yes, Professor?"

"I am very disappointed in you, Miss Granger," Flitwick squeaked. "I expected much better from a student as brilliant and advanced as you are."

Hermione gave him a curious look. "Sorry?"

"Don't say sorry to me, Miss Granger, say sorry to yourself," Flitwick stated oddly as he handed her a scroll of parchment before floating off to Daphne Greengrass. Hermione stared at the tightly furled parchment, her mind still reeling from that confusing conversation with Flitwick. She gingerly picked up the parchment and examined it, realizing that it was her essay. The scroll was tied tightly with a velvet green ribbon, the name _Hermione Granger_ printed neatly on the front in thin black ink. "Why's my essay so short?" she muttered to herself as she undid the ribbon and slowly unfurled the creased parchment. "I'm sure it was at least three feet- Oh, Merlin!"

Draco, who had been watching her with intense interest, nearly fell out of his chair at her exclamation. His chair had been teetering on its hind legs, and he came crashing forward in shock, gripping the edge of the desk to prevent his face from permanently becoming part of the cold stone floors, earning himself several odd glances in his direction in the process.

"What? What happened?" he asked urgently, his eyes darting from the dirty parchment Hermione held between shaking fingers and the shocked mouth-agape expression that was plastered across her face. "Hermione?"

Her large chocolate eyes swiveled up to stare into his own clear grey ones, sending silent screams through their intense eye lock. Without a word, she thrust the parchment in his hands, mouth still hanging open like a fish. Frowning at the possibility of anything having such an effect as to even make Hermione Granger shell-shocked, his eyes scanned the length of the parchment. His brow furrowed together.

It was blank.

He shot her a puzzled look. "Err, Hermi-"

"Look at the bottom," she rasped, massaging her temples in vexation, her eyes shut tight. Draco did as he was told and his eyes widened at the sight of the minuscule black handwriting in the bottom right corner of the parchment, long and spidery, almost impossible to decipher. He narrowed his eyes and brought the parchment closer to his face, examining the font carefully. His mouth fell open. He reread the sentence over and over again, it's full meaning not able to seep properly into his skull.

_I'm too stupid for Hogwarts, gimme an _F_. Hermione Granger._

Draco frowned. Flitwick had done just that, judging by the large circled _F_ at the back of the parchment, a glaring bright red eyesore. But whether it was on Hermione's absurd orders or due to the lack of .. well, everything in that essay, he wasn't sure.

"Her- Hermione?"

Draco glanced up to see Hermione leap up from her seat and stride over to where Flitwick was bobbing about in mid air to some unknown rhythm in his head. Draco watched from the safety of his seat as Hermione shared a rather animated conversation with the diminutive Professor, her hands punching thin air repeatedly as she tried to convince the giddy Professor that there had been some kind of mistake.

He could hear random snatches of the conversation that managed to float over the usual noisy hustle and bustle of the classroom and reach his ears.

"... Three foot long essay ..."

"... There's been a misunderstanding ..."

"... Never sent in blank homework before ..."

"... Have more dignity than that ..."

"... I'm Hermione Granger, for Merlin's sake ..."

Finally, after several minutes, Hermione let out a frustrated growl before marching back to her seat, Draco's silver orbs trained on her every move as she reached into her book bag and wrench out her Advanced Charms text again, slamming it onto the desk in front of her. She fumed as she roughly flipped though the pages and was visibly seething as her eyes darted across the page, her brain soaking up the information like a sponge.

There was an uncomfortable silence, Draco not daring to voice his thoughts and disrupt the quiet, afraid of what Hermione might do to him in her anger. After several silent moments, he finally plucked up the courage to carefully place a hand on Hermione's shoulder. He nearly jumped when her muscles tensed, but then inwardly sighed with relief as they relaxed under his touch.

"Hermione?" he asked, his voice brimming with pure concern. "What happened?"

With a loud bang, she slammed the abused book shut, folding her arms across her chest. "Professor Flitwick," Hermione glared menacingly at the happy Professor, who was too busy zooming about the classroom to notice. "Seems to think that I really _am_ too stupid for Hogwarts. He doesn't seem to believe me that there's been a mistake with my essay. Really! As if I, Hermione Granger, would even think about handing a short assignment, let alone a blank one! The nerve.."

At that point, Hermione began to mutter, her voice so low that Draco couldn't understand a single word, though he was quite sure that they weren't pretty, judging by the evil way Hermione would look in Flitwick's direction. _I hope she isn't planning on -_

"Whooo!" Professor Flitwick's voice sailed over to them as he suddenly lost control of his levitating and went crashing into the group of girls he had been hovering over. Draco winced.

_- jinxing him._

Draco turned to face Hermione, an amused grin playing about the sides of his lips as he spotted the ludicrous smirk that was apparent on her features.

_That's a smirk worthy of the Malfoy title._

x x x x x x x x x x

"Aaaargh!" Hermione cried out, frustration clear as her hands flew up to her temples, massaging the persistent veins that were throbbing there. Spread out in front of her was her so-called assignment for Potions. The blank parchment, bearing the same minuscule note in the bottom right corner, was host to a large _F_ that took up most of the parchment's middle. Professor Snape was obviously enjoying her torment as he hovered by her desk, a satisfied sneer marring his long, sallow face. The enmity that practically throbbed between them was evident and Draco wearily kept an eye on the fuming Hermione, who was glaring bloody daggers at her smirking Potions professor.

"There's no need for such loathsome looks in my class, Miss Granger," Snape reprimanded curtly, the tip of his mouth jerking upwards in an insidious manner. "20 points from Gryffindor. Oh, and another 20 points for handing in an unfinished - no, scratch that, _blank_ - assignment."

With one final smirk, the Potions master spun on his heel and strode back down the length of the classroom to his desk, leaving Hermione in a foreboding sense of dread in his wake.

Draco shot her a worried glance. Hermione's face was hidden in her hands, the tips of her fingers digging into her hair. Hunched over and shaking, she was slowly rocking back and forth in her seat, an unintelligible mumbling emanating from her alarming figure. Draco tentatively leaned over and rubbed soothing circles into the small of her back.

"Who would do such a thing?" Hermione choked, bringing her head up from her hands to meet Draco's worried gaze. Her eyes had the slightest rim of red around its edges, and her breathing pattern was irate and sudden. Was she going to have a breakdown in the middle of the dungeons?

No, Hermione Granger had more dignity than that. That is, if she had anymore dignity left after this latest horrifying discovery. Hermione Granger getting an _F_? No, rephrase. Hermione Granger getting _seven_ _F_'s? It just wasn't logical. She hadn't even gotten a _B_ before, and now from an advanced _A_ student, she had flopped down miserably to a measly _F_ junkie. No, Hermione Granger had to save whatever dignity she had left in her before it all got wiped away like her clean record.

Draco dug through his bag for his schedule and swiftly ran his eyes over the small font. He was relieved to find that Double Potions was the last lesson of the day. His eyes lingered on the thick print before slowly moving backwards on the list, scrutinizing each of the predeceding subjects. In Herbology, Professor Sprout had stiffly handed Hermione a similar blank parchment, announcing for the whole greenhouse to hear that Hermione Granger had received an _F_. Shocked gasps of horror had escaped from everybody's lips at the revelation. Later on in Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall had lectured Hermione on failing her assignment, issuing more cries of disbelief amongst her contemporaries. Right after lunch in Ancient Runes, their vexed Professor Babbling had unceremoniously dropped yet another blank assignment on top of Hermione's open copy of _Magical Hieroglyphs and Logograms_, stating that he never thought such offending work would ever be handed in by a student as talented as she. In their Double Arithmancy lesson, Hermione had received not one but _two_ blank essays from a tutting Professor Vector, claiming that Hermione had been such a waste of hope. Draco frowned. He wasn't entirely sure who would want to cause Hermione such academic grief, but thought that he had a good idea who would.. _A certain bunch of jealous, spiteful students, I'll bet Merlin's beard on it.._

"This has got to stop," Hermione snarled, her mouth contorting into a frown, reeling Draco out of his reverie. "Whoever's doing this is definitely ruining my reputation, Draco! Something must be done!"

"Maybe you should go to see Dumbledore," Draco suggested lightly. Hermione's ears perked up.

"Yes, maybe I should! I'll do so first thing tomorrow morning, I'm too tired and stressed out tonight," Hermione scowled. She tapped the scatter of books, parchments and quills that littered her desk, watching as it all packed themselves neatly into her bag. "I need to get some rest, Draco. I think I'll skip dinner tonight. I'm feeling so drained at the moment.."

Draco nodded understandingly. "Alright, then, Hermione. I'll bring some dinner up for you later. The bell should be ringing any moment-"

BRIIIIIIIING.

"-now," he finished lamely over the deafening scraping of chairs as everybody got up and packed their belongings, not wanting to stay in the cold, drafty dungeons any longer than they had to. Hermione miserably hoisted herself out of her seat and shouldered her bag, giving Draco a weak smile.

"I'll see you later, then," she concluded, reaching over to plant a quick kiss on his pale cheek. Blushing furiously, she pushed in her chair before hurriedly making her way past the stream of students that were milling out the door, disappearing from Draco's line of vision.

x x x x x x x x x x

Balancing a silver tray laden with goodies, Draco knocked on Hermione's closed bedroom door. After waiting several seconds, he was greeted by silence. He knocked again, rapping the solid polished wood louder with his knuckles. When he failed to hear a response or stirring, Draco pressed his ear to the cool wood, frowning. He could decipher light snoring emitting from the room and it clicked in his mind that she had dozed off.

He carefully balanced the heavily-laden tray in the palm of one hand whilst turning the doorknob with the other. The tray began to quiver, before tipping slightly, the chalice of pumpkin juice atop it wobbling and nearly spilling its thirst-quenching contents onto the luxurious antique carpet beneath his shiny black shoes. With impressive dexterity, Draco managed to level the tray, breathing a sigh of relief when the amalgam of food it held became still once more.

Using his foot, he quietly pushed open the door, an intricately-decorated red and gold room greeting his sight. He smirked as he made his way over to the four poster bed, its Gryffindor-proud hangings pulled shut, as he noted the stark contrast this room held with his, which boasted the silver and green Slytherin shades. He placed the tray onto the bedside table and summoned a chair, seating himself comfortably as he took in the scene.

The room was rather tastefully decorated, with swathes of brilliant red and gold fabric shielding the large framed windows. Hermione had already given the room her own personal touch, judging by the mess of reading materials that were scattered around the room; textbooks were piled high in unstable columns on her desk, gold-embossed leather-bound tomes were stacked neatly by her bed and dozens of copes of The Daily Prophet littered the floor. Draco raised an eyebrow involuntarily. _I never knew Hermione was so messy. Mother would definitely have a fit if she saw this room.._

He turned sharply when the bed cloths started to rustle, his shoulders slumping as he dropped his guard when he heard Hermione moan softly. With tired fingers, she slowly pushed apart the gauzy bed hangings, and Draco came face to face with a drowsy Hermione Granger. A dreamy look flitted over her features as she smiled up at him. "Mmm.. Hello, Draco.."

"I brought you some dinner, like I said I would," Draco jerked his head towards the tray of food beside him. Hermione's eyes widened in delight at the sight.

"Oh, wonderful.. Thank you.. I'm feeling so hungry at the moment.. Unghh.. And so tired..," Hermione groaned, before blushing, realizing that Draco was examining her in her most vulnerable state. Quickly, she pulled the duvet high up to her chin and squared her shoulders, her cheeks still tinted a delicate shade of pink. Smirking, Draco levitated the tray closer to her.

"Did a house elf bring these up?" Hermione inquired softly as she fingered a dainty treacle tart, licking her lips subconsciously.

Draco shook his head, causing the tray to jerk slightly at the sudden movement. "Oh, sorry. No, I brought it up myself."

Hermione beamed up at him as she took a bite of the tart. "How thoughtful!"

They lapsed into a companionable silence, Draco gazing at her as she nibbled at the tart. When she had finished it and was reaching for another, her expression turned grave. "Draco, I think I know who would do such a thing to my grades."

Draco's heart fell. "Oh. Yeah."

"It might be this group of third year Slytherins, according to Ginny," Hermione stated. "Apparently, Gin saw one of them, Marchetta Grislen, rifling through Professor McGonagall's student cabinet while she was passing McGonagall's office on the way to the Great Hall. Grislen's friends were all huddled up outside the door and were giggling, and Gin managed to catch a few suspicious phrases like, 'Hermione's gonna pay' and 'her dirty blood won't taint his'."

Draco's eyes darkened to a molten silver, his face contorting in rage as he jumped out of his seat. "Dirty blood, they said? I'll show them dirty blo-"

"Draco, no!" Hermione's arm shot out to grab Draco's, her face pleading. "Don't hurt them. Please. I'm not even sure if they were the ones that created all this confusion. Don't do anything to them until it's confirmed, please."

Submitting reluctantly to Hermione's pleas, Draco withdrew his arm from her grasp as he sat back down, glaring at the patch of empty scarlet-painted wall ahead of him.

"Fine. I won't lay a wand on them. Yet."

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: I do not own anything recognizable created by the brilliant mind of Joanne Kathleen Rowling, nor do I intend to perform any copyright infringement or receive any profits from the writing of this fiction. Wheeee.

Author's Note: Wheee! ..Again. I'm currently changing my story layout. I decided that the previous one wasn't very nice, so taa daa! New layout:D I'm such a doofus. Okay, okay. Nevermind. Moving on to the IMPORTANT matters at hand. I know, I know. It seems rather.. ingeniously wrong that anyone would even think of spoiling perfect Hermione Granger's reputation by demolishing her straight A record. Oh, well. We've got some pretty cunning minds in Hogwarts, as you have discovered. More disasters and heartbreaks to come, dearies, no worries. Let's just say that the next chapter contains some rather thrillingly.. _fatal_ news. ;) oO"

An ominous thankyou to all my beloved reviewers!! My greatest thanks to all of you lovely readers who've stuck with me all this while. :) It's quite sad, though. I've got over.. well, quite a large number of hits, and yet so few people actually review. :( Anyway, thanks to everybody who DOES review. You make my day, seriously. :)

My lovely lovely lovely reviewers: **Danusha**, **firebirdflame**, **adeckofcards**, **Abby**, **Ranariel**, **LonelyBeat**, **littlemeercat**, **dracoisthesexiestmanalive**, **Miss Loh**, **gwen**, and **Glowing Red Eyes**!!

**Danusha**: Well, Ginny is Hermione's best _girl_friend, so yeah. :) You can't exactly expect Hermione to go traipsing up to Harry and Ron and announcing that she was going out with their sworn nemesis, right? They'd probably obliviate her memory or murder Draco in his sleep or something. :D Yeahh, poor Hermione. No, they're still together. She's gotta keep holding on!! And of course those Howler-senders are jealous!

**firebirdflame**: Great to know that you're loving my story. :D I feel happyy. The haters were the jealous people who sent the Howlers to Hermione. Yeah. Definitely, Draco would stand up for Hermione. No one can harm a Malfoy's private property, right? ;D

**adeckofcards**: Nuuu! You should review more often, but thanks for taking the time to review the last chapter anyway. :D Glad to know you're still tuning in! Haha, yeahh, thanks. I couldn't really imagine Hogwarts being lenient about their sudden relationship. The girls -and some guys oO" - are probably tearing their pretty hair out trying to get back at Hermione. :D

**Abby**: ... silence 

**Ranariel**: Thanks! Well, he did try to address her as Hermione, it's in one of the previous chapters, I'm sure. But he found it.. strange. So he just decided to stick with Granger until they got more used to it, I suppose. Good ol' Ginny, easing the name tension. :D Thanks for reminding me, though!

**LonelyBeat**: Thanks?

**littlemeercat**: Whoaa!! Heh, thanks for the shower of reviews. :D In response to review #1, you're very much welcome. :) Haha, yeahh. Love-hate relationships are cute, aren't they? ;D In reply to review #2, hee, yeah, that part went a little overboard with my imagination. :D Thanks! Review #3: Hm, Pansy maturing.. too much? Wow. Never heard that coming. :D It can happen, though, can't it? She can't stay the frou-frou whore she was forever, after all. Hermione's had a detention before? Oh, well. Let's just ignore that little snippet, then, shall we? ;) Hee. Thanks! Review #4: Haha! Yeahh, it's amusing. :D My spelling is usually so whacked up, so thanks should be directed at **Abby** for being such a great, loyal BETA. :D Ahaha. Err, I STILL try to update every few days, it's just the CNY holidays have been holding me back. :) Hee.

**dracoisthesexiestmanalive**: Haha, thanks!

**Miss Loh**: Glad to know your computer's fixed. :) I know, CNY holidays can be so hectic! I've got all these long-lost relatives flurrying in and out of my house, I can't even keep track! It's like a mad rush hour. At least they leave ang pows, right:D I'm feeling rich!! Yeah, chapters are longer, and I'm TRYING to update as often as I can. Heh. CNY is my excuse this time for being late. :D

**gwen**: Thanks!! My writing's been held up by all the hectic rush of the Chinese New Year holidays. Mad relatives and all appearing at my doorstep all the time. There's just no privacy anymore. :D Thanks again!!

**Glowing Red Eyes**: Thanks very much!!

Yeahhh. Phew. That took a lot of space. oO" Oh, well. Thanks again to everyone for sticking with me, and don't forget to drop me a review! ;) By the way, when you have the time, I've posted up a new one-shot titled **Furry Little Problem**. It's a **RemusxSirius one-shot **that I felt like writing earlier on when I was bored, so I decided to post it up. :) Give it a go whenever you have the time, and drop me a review:D Ttfn, su yin. xx


	12. Chapter 12

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Twelve

((This chapter is dedicated to my **100th** reviewer, **LonelyBeat**. Enjoy!))

x x x x x x x x x x

"Ugh, I swear, 'Mione, if Snape gives us any more homework tomorrow, I might have to castrate him!" Ron cried out, wringing his hands in the air in anger, as the Golden Trio entered the Great Hall. Harry put a sympathetic hand on Ron's shoulder to calm him down, whereas Hermione simply sighed.

"We all know that Snape hates Gryffindors, Ron. We're just going to have to deal with it," she shrugged helplessly. "Besides, we won't be seeing any more of him after our N.E.W.Ts are done."

"Whoopee," Ron mumbled sarcastically as they seated themselves at the Gryffindor table. Hermione sat with her back to the stone wall, so she had a clear view of the Slytherin table. She discreetly searched the table for Draco whilst fiddling with the delicate neck of her glass chalice, finding him talking to an animated Pansy Parkinson. He looked up and their eyes locked. He gave her a small nod and a smile before turning his attention back to Pansy.

"Hermione?" Harry called, waving his fingers in front of her face. Hermione snapped to focus and smiled sheepishly at him.

"Oh, sorry, Harry. What were you saying?"

"We'll be leaving dinner early, 'Mione, we've got late Quidditch practices," Ron stated, sulking, as he bit into a fried chicken leg. He smiled apologetically and managed through a mouthful of chicken, "But we'll be back in the Commons by midnight, 'Mione. Just call if you need us."

Hermione nodded and brought the chalice up to her chapped lips, it being already full to the brim and sloshing with gurgling pumpkin juice. "Alright."

Just then, Ginny seated herself next to Hermione, smiling. "Hi, guys."

"Hey, Gin," Hermione replied, slowly massaging her throat. It felt itchy and bugged her. She took a huge gulp of her pumpkin juice, hoping to cure the itch.

"So, 'Mione, Gin, we'll be going now," Harry said, smiling, as he and Ron stood up, Ron's arms laden with assorted treacle tarts. "See you later."

Ginny gave her brother a look. "Ron, I don't think anyone has managed to play Quidditch while stuffing their face with tarts."

Grinning sheepishly, Ron merely shrugged his shoulders. "I'll be the first, then!"

Hermione watched as the boys left the Hall, taking larger gulps of her pumpkin juice. Her throat was really starting to ache..

She turned her attention back down to her untouched plate of potato salad, cheese asparagus, and creamed spinach. Ginny picked up a fork and carefully prodded Hermione's choice of dinner, scrunching up her nose.

"'Mione, when did you decide to go vegetarian?"

"Well - ," Hermione opened her mouth to retort, but was stopped when she felt a sudden burning ache in her throat. She bit her lip as she massaged her throat, the pain increasing by the second. She felt like her throat was expanding at an alarming rate, and it was constricting her breathing. Taking in ragged gasps for air, she grabbed onto the edge of the table, her knuckles whitening from the grip. _I.. I can't.. breathe..!_

"Hermione?" Ginny asked, her eyes widening, worried. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut tight, her hand clamped tight around her throat. _What's going on?!_

Suddenly, Hermione jerked backwards, throwing herself off her chair and onto the cold marble floors, her head coming into sharp contact with the ground, releasing a blood-curdling scream that resounded around the Great Hall before everything went black.

x x x x x x x x x x

"Hermione? ..Hermione!"

Hermione groaned as she turned over onto her side, her head throbbing incessantly. She was going to need a handful of narcotics to relieve the pain. Her throat burned as if someone had lit a match to it, and her lungs felt constricted. She twisted her legs underneath the plain white hospital blanket that covered her shivering form.

Wait a minute.

_Hospital_ blanket?

Hermione's dark amber eyes snapped open to see a whitewash ceiling several feet above her. A flickering candle floated peacefully, it's hot wax dripping into the silver plate below it. She shut her eyes again, giving herself time to adjust to the bright morning light that streamed in through the large windows.

"Hermione?"

Who was that calling her name? It sounded oddly familiar.. What a lovely husky voice..

Blinking, she slowly pushed herself upright with her elbows, leaning back into the soft goose-feather pillow. A hazy image swam in front of her eyes, and Hermione had to blink several more times before it settled.

"Draco!" she let out a hoarse cry. Her head started to throb again, and her hand flew up to clutch her head. She let out a surprised gasp when, instead of feeling her untamed mane of bushy brown hair, her hand came into contact with a slick, smooth, white bandage. She shot Draco a helpless glance. "Wha - what's going on?"

Draco grimaced before reaching for her hand. "Everything's alright now. You had a fall in the Great Hall during dinner last night and hurt your head before losing consciousness. I took you here, and Madam Pomfrey ran a check-up on you before giving you your antidotes." His quicksilver eyes suddenly turned cloudy and menacing, his beautiful lips forming a scowl. "Apparently, you were poisoned, Hermione."

Hermione's eyes grew wide and she quickly sat up with her back poker-straight. "P - poisoned?!" she managed to rasp before falling back onto her pillow, emitting a soft groan at the pain that throbbed incessantly from the core of her mind.

"Someone snuck some Poison Ivy into your pumpkin juice last night," Draco informed her, darkly.

Hermione nearly collapsed off the hospital bed. _Poison Ivy?!_ That was the most dangerous, lethal powdered poison ever discovered, and was illegal in most parts of the world. The smallest dose could put it's victim under an endless coma spell. "P - poison Ivy?! B - but.. how did I s - survive?"

"I managed to get you here in time, before the poison could take effect in your bloodstream," Draco explained. "Your attacker forgot that the deadly effects of Poison Ivy are lessened when mixed with flavoured fluids, like your pumpkin juice, as it's at it's strongest in water or more solid mediums."

Suddenly, Draco nearly got knocked out of his seat. With a gasp, he realised that Hermione had practically threw herself onto him, her weak arms weaved around his neck, hugging him breathless. She sniffed. Draco frowned. Was she.. _crying?!_

"Thank you, Draco," she said, her voice small and muffled by his robes as she dug her face deeper into the crook of his shoulder. "Thank you for saving my life."

After several moments, Draco slowly unlatched her from him, looking down onto her smiling face, her eyes unusually glazed and rimmed with red. "Careful, Hermione, or you're going to hurt yourself."

Hermione sniffed involuntarily as her smile grew. "I won't need to worry about that, Draco. I've got you."

x x x x x x x x x x

Harry and Ron burst into the Hospital Wing, disrupting the peaceful silence. Madam Pomfrey glared at them from where she stood spooning some hot amber liquid into a terrified first year's mouth. "Mister Potter! Mister Weasley! What do you think you're doi - "

"Where's Hermione?" Harry cut her off urgently, gripping his muddy Firebolt tight. He and Ron were still decked out in their Quidditch uniforms, rain water dripping from their mud-splattered attire. Ron's cerulean eyes swept over the mostly empty hospital beds before grabbing Harry's elbow.

"Look, there she is!" he shouted before quickly making his way over to the other side of the room, Harry hot on his heels. Their worried yet relieved expressions darkened considerably when they saw who was seated at her bedside, grasping her limp hand. "Malfoy," Ron seethed, gritting his teeth as they approached the bed.

Ron immediately grabbed Draco by his collar and rammed him against the nearest wall, his wand out and pointed steadily at the smirking boy's throat. "What did you do to her, you mangy little ferre - Argh, lemme go, Harry!"

"No, Ron," Harry admonished, although his bright emerald eyes shone with the same amount of loathing, if not more, that was evident in Ron's eyes."He's not worth it."

Instead of backing down like Harry hoped he would, Ron pressed the tip of his wand into Draco's delicate milky skin, emitting a low growl. "Yes, he's bloody well worth it, the slimy git, after what he's done!" he practically roared. "Wh - "

"MISTER WEASLEY!!" shrieked a dishevelled Madam Pomfrey as she rushed up to them, waving her wand about, her eyes bulging and looking absolutely hysterical. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING TO MISTER MALFOY!! PUT HIM DOWN THIS INSTANT!!"

Ron immediately released Draco's collar, glaring at the pale boy as he adjusted his robes. "Sorry, Madam Pomfrey. Won't happen again."

Huffing, the medi-witch waggled her wand loosely between her fingers at Ron. "It better not, Mister Weasley, or it'll be the Headmaster's office for you," she sniffed before marching into her office, her frothy skirt swishing behind her.

The moment he heard the door _click_, Ron lunged himself at Draco once more, this time gripping the boy's neck. "You malicious, snotty, big-headed Slytherin ferret!" he snarled, careful to keep his voice in check in case Madam Pomfrey decided to take a peek. He pushed Draco up against the wall again, shoving his wand deep into Draco's skin. "What did you do to her? Huh? Poisoned her didn't you? You evil liar, you are! You swore to protect her, didn't you? And off you go, skipping, I bet, and poisoned her pumpkin juice! Who would've thought, huh? Who would've thought?! ..Why, I ought to hex you so hard, your precious mummy will lose all her pretty hair."

Ron flinched slightly as Draco's molten grey eyes flashed. "Don't you ever talk that way about my mother, Weasel," he warned, his tone dangerously low albeit dulcet. "Don't you ever insult my mother. Ever."

Gaping, Harry simply stood there, helpless, watching this exchange of words with immense depression at his inability to handle the matter at hand. _B - but.. I'm Harry Potter..! I can do ANYTHING..!_

"Er.. Ron, don't..," Harry flailed his arms in the air, exasperated, when Ron disregarded him. _Hmph. Nobody ignores the great Harry Potter._ "Ron! Don't!"

"Shut it, Harry," Ron snapped, his raging blue eyes fixed on Draco's livid expression. "You're ruining my concentration."

_Concentra - What?? Oh, Merlin._

"Leave, Pothead," Draco commanded simply, his gaze fixed on Ron's freckled face. Astounded, Harry frowned.

"No."

"LEAVE, Pothead," Draco repeated, this time enunciating his words. He gripped his wand in his pocket, ready to jinx the interfering Boy Wonder.

"No!"

Muttering cuss words under his breath, Draco leveled his wand at Harry and verbalised the first hex that came to mind, watching with amusement as Harry gave a short yell and flew backwards out the infirmary doors. Satisfied, Draco chanted a non-verbal charm in his head so that the door to Madam Pomfrey's office was securely sound proof.

Ron's eyes flickered for a moment before setting them back onto Draco's pleased form.

"I will hex you, you know," Ron mentioned casually, his lips twitching malevolently as he continued to glare at Draco. "Dirty little ferrets like you don't deserve the right to go around poisoning people's morning juice."

"Hex me?" Draco laughed bitterly. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Weasel. Remember the last time you pointed that wand in my direction? Didn't turn out so well for you now, did it?" he mocked, sneering. "So unless you've fixed that filthy wand of yours, I suggest you put it down. Don't want you to hurt yourself, after all."

An insidious smirk broke out on his handsome face. "Oh, wait. Forgive me, Weasel, I forgot. You're too poverty-stricken to buy a new wand, aren't you?"

"WHY, YOU HALF-ARSED LITTLE - !"

CRUNCH

Eyes wide open they nearly popped out of their sockets, Draco stumbled slightly, his hand flying up to feel his broken nose, glistening blood dripping down his pale chin. Sneering, he turned his attention back to a seething Ron, his voice thick. "You're going to regret that, Weaselface."

Growling menacingly, Draco lashed out his wand and began to utter a chain of hexes under his breath, watching with stormy grey eyes as the colourful jets of lights shot out of his wand directly at Ron's chest. Taken aback, Ron yelled, his eyes round with terror, as he got flung backwards, landing in an ungraceful heap on the polished stone floors several feet behind him. Immediately, he turned rigid as a board and ice blue, boils sprouting up on various parts of his anatomy as thick lengths of rope wound their way securely around his middle. His eyes swiveled around in horror, glaring silent daggers at a smirking Draco.

Swiftly, Draco hovered his wand in front of his broken nose, breathing a sigh of relief as the blood dried up and his nose fixed itself. In a swish of black robes, he was at Ron's side, staring down into Ron's petrified face. "I warned you, Weasel," he said softly. "But you never listen, do you?"

Giving Ron a slight kick, Draco pocketed his wand and sauntered out of the Hospital Wing.

x x x x x x x x x x

Hermione groggily opened her eyes, her eyelids fluttering apart. Her vision immediately swam before her eyes, her head pounding.

_Owww..! Holy Hell.. My head.._

She slowly turned on her side and reached out for the glass of water on her bedside table. She managed to wrap her trembling fingers around its cool surface and was about to bring it to her parched lips when she stopped short. Her eyes widened as her jaw dropped to the floor.

"_Ron_?!"

Lying down in the bed next to her, Ron grinned sheepishly. "Uhh.. Hi, 'Mione."

SMASH.

Hermione winced. The shock of seeing Ron beside her had caused her to drop her glass, water and all. She braced herself as she heard Madam Pomfrey bustle out of her office, clearly very frustrated, as she cleaned up the mess.

"Miss Granger! I'd certainly appreciate it if you could watch what you're doing! I don't have enough time to tend to every single thing you do..," she ranted, her tirade long and pointless. Finally, with a huffy glare, she turned on her heel and shuffled off to a third year's bedside, cooing about his sore tummy.

"What are you doing here, Ron?" Hermione questioned urgently. "Did - oh, no - did Draco.. do something?"

Ron's face was set in a grim line. "Yeah.. He did."

Hermione's expression was crestfallen. "Oh, Merlin. What did he do?"

"Err.. He just stunned me.. and tied me up.. and turned me blue.. and used that Furnunculus curse.. and - "

"Merlin," Hermione cut him off. "I made him promise not to touch you or Harry!" She gasped. "What about Harry? Is he alright?"

"He should be. Draco just sent him flying out the door, that's all - "

"He _what_?! Oh, gods, where is he?"

"Harry's back in the Common Room, he's alright - "

"No, Draco!"

Ron looked blank. "Uhh.. He left the Hospital Wing a few minutes ago to get you some dinner, I think."

Hermione scowled before composing herself, breathing in and out.

"What happened, exactly?"

Ron's ears turned red as his gaze flickered to the stretch of plain wall behind Hermione. "Err.. I accused him of poisoning you. He started sneering about my financial standards and such, so I.. punched him."

Hermione's face crumpled. "Good Lord. Ron..?"

"Then, he started firing off all sorts of hexes at me and left. Madam Pomfrey took some time coming out, then she sorted me out and made me stay in the Hospital Wing until she's sure all the side effects have worn off. I'll be here about a day, I suppose."

x x x x x x x x x x

"Really, Madam Pomfrey, I'm feeling perfectly fine - !"

"Nonsense, Miss Granger, there's no need to lie."

"But, Madam Pomfrey, I'm absolutely capable of - !"

"Miss Granger, you will stay at least another night in that hospital bed or I will personally see to it that Dumbledore hears of your.. disapproving behaviour."

"Madam Pomfrey - !"

"MISS GRANGER."

Huffing, Hermione snapped her mouth shut and folded her arms across her chest. Her whole body ached beneath the itchy hospital gown material and the harrowing pain in her head had ceased over the past few hours. The milky white sky outside the large curtain-swathed windows had turned ebony, the stars glinting mischievously from their nests high up in Heaven. Madam Pomfrey's dour tone would have been able to sober up any drunkard immediately, and Hermione definitely didn't want to irritate an already ruffled-feathered medi-witch. Draco had dutifully remained at her bedside throughout the rather uneventful day, randomly pointing out the faults of the large room. "Look, Hermione, there's a crack in the foundation over there in that corner. Do you see it? That teeny little line down there.." or "Hey, Hermione, these windows aren't the same length, are they? This one over here is definitely bigger compared to _that_ one over there.."

Shooting Hermione with one last scrutinizing stare, Madam Pomfrey turned swiftly on her heels and marched into her office, her skirt of white and black cotton swirling around her ankles. Hermione sighed in relief. "Thank Merlin. I thought she'd never leave. I still don't see why I can't leave tonight, though. I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

Draco gave her a concerned look. "That old witch might've not gotten all the Poison out of your system yet, you know. Just a reminder, that stuff is deadly," he added casually, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Hermione couldn't help but crack a small smile.

_Ever-loving narcissistic Malfoy._

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: No, no, no. Not mine. What made you think that, anyway?

Author's Note: What a crazy chapter. Just thought we should explore the limitless possibilities of what those hateful people would do to dear darling Hermione. Hang in to see what happens next! I'm really sorry that I'm moving so fast, but I'm trying to wrap up The Debutante Ball as soon as possible. Sorry:C Moving on, I'm really pleased to see that the story's attracting more new readers, or at least more readers to come out as reviewers. :D Brilliant!

Thanks to everyone who propelled me to reach 100 reviews! Hmm.. I'm aiming for 200 next, so keep those reviews rolling in:D Ttfn, su yin. xx


	13. Chapter 13

**The Debutante Ball**

A fanfiction novel by sizzleberrylicious

Chapter Thirteen

x x x x x x x x x x

"Draco!"

Hermione broke out into a grin as Draco made his way towards her, completely ignoring Ron's death glares from the bed beside her.

"Are you feeling better, Hermione?" Draco inquired, summoning a chair and gently grasping her hand.

"Oh, yes, I'm feeling a lot better," Hermione reassured him before her smile turned into a scowl. "Madam Pomfrey doesn't seem to think so, though. She plans to keep me in at least until dinner time to perform more check-ups on me. Thinks I'll suddenly faint again if I walk around." She rolled her eyes helplessly.

Draco smiled, brushing a wayward brown curl out of her eyes and watched with amused silver eyes as it fell back into place, obscuring part of her vision again. Hermione heaved a frustrated sigh and swiped it aside. "Any news?"

"I've informed Dumbledore about what's been happening," Draco informed her, his face suddenly serious. "He told me that attempting to poison another student is good enough to land Grislen on a one-way trip to St. Mungo's or even better, Azkaban."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror. "Draco! No! I'm not even sure if it truly is Grislen. She could be.. well.. Oh, Draco!"

"He should be here any moment," Draco stated, ignoring her last sentence.

Hermione crumpled back against her pillow. "Draco.."

"He's right, you know, 'Mione," Ron piped up. "As much as I hate to admit it, Malfoy's actually done something right."

Draco scowled. "Thank you, Weasel," he said through gritted teeth. He smirked. "Can't say the same for you, though."

Ron's face darkened. "Malfoy - "

"Ron, please, don't. Not again," Hermione strained, letting her eyelids flutter shut to block out the images that swam before her.

Just then, the doors to the Hospital Wing burst open and Dumbledore came in, his brilliant purple robes billowing. With worry lines creasing his already aged parchment-like face, he made his way over to Hermione. "Good morning, Miss Granger."

"Good morning, Headmaster," Hermione replied.

"Mister Malfoy has just informed me of a certain wrong doing commited by Miss Marchetta Grislen. Miss Granger, attempted poison is a very serious case," Dumbledore bore a very grave look and the twinkle in his eyes had disappeared. "It could have lead to immediate death, which was obviously the attacker's intent, therefore transfering the case under murder."

"Headmaster, I think that Grislen isn't necessarily the one in charge," Hermione said helplessly. "She could be following orders.. Or maybe it wasn't even Grislen at all.."

Dumbledore's features softened, "Miss Granger, it warms me to see that you are defending your attacker. I, for one, too believe that Miss Grislen isn't responsible for your attacks."

Draco and Ron's jaws dropped simultaneously.

"For one, it would be nearly impossible for Miss Grislen to attain such a deadly poison," Dumbledore reasoned, oblivious to the boys' shocked expressions. "Ergo, it is possible that an older, wiser, and more cunning person supplied it to her. Your second theory is also possible. Maybe Miss Weasley mistook the intruder's identity, seeing as she did not stop to question them. Therefore, it could easily be someone else entirely."

"My point exactly, Headmaster," Hermione nodded, agreeing.

"Of course, I'm going to have to look into these chain of events. Mister Malfoy, would you be so kind as to ask Miss Grislen of her whereabouts at sixteen minutes past seven on the night of two days ago?"

Draco nodded, discarding Hermione's horrified stare. The old dragon was finally starting to get useful. "It would be my pleasure, Headmaster."

x x x x x x x x x x

Draco sped down the crowded corridor, his long legs moving so fast they seemed to be merely a blur. Growling, he clutched the strap of his book bag tightly in his hand as his smokey grey eyes scanned the groups of giggling girls for a Marchetta Grislen. He knew how she looked like, having to endure her flirting just half a year ago; tousled blond hair, big blue eyes, freckled skin. The likes.

"Draco! Draco, wait up!"

Draco slowed down his pace but didn't fully stop, his eyes still roving the corridor. He waited patiently for Pansy to catch up, and when she did, shot off again.

"Draco, what's wrong?" she inquired, her voice dripping with concern as she rushed to catch up with his stride. He suddenly stopped and turned to face her, his face set.

"Have you seen Grislen anywhere, Pans?"

Pansy delicately wrinkled her upturned nose. "Grislen? That Slytherin third year who was all over you at one point?"

Draco gave her a curt nod, urging her on.

"No, I haven't seen her lately - Draco, wait!" she called as he started to walk again, running after him. When she finally managed to catch up, she panted, managing to voice a breathless, "Why are you looking for her?"

Draco scowled. "Hermione thinks she's the one behind all this shit that's been happening lately," he stated, balling his fists by his sides. "So I plan to call to order a small interrogation.."

"Don't hurt her, Draco," Pansy warned him, ignoring the curious eyes that followed them as they hurried down the corridor, barrelling unsuspecting students out of the way. "She's only a child - "

"She's one devious, murderous child, then!" Draco barked. "Nobody - and I mean nobody - messes with Draco Malfoy's girl and gets away with it."

Pansy let out a defeated sigh as she halted in her tracks, watching as Draco continued to make his way down the corridor.

"I hope he doesn't do anything too serious.."

x x x x x x x x x x

"Professor McGonagall!" Draco nearly shouted as he burst into the Transfiguration classroom, ignorant of the chain of whispers that broke out after his impromptu entrance. He quickly jumped down the steps to where the flustered Deputy Headmistress was seated at her large desk. "Professor McGonagall, I'm terribly sorry, but I need to have a word with Marchetta Grislen."

McGonagall frowned down at him as she stood up, her eyes disapproving. "Mister Malfoy, students such as yourself are not allowed to disrupt other classes! Shouldn't you be in class as well, Mister Malfoy?"

Draco brushed off her questions, lying clearly, "Dumbledore wants to see her."

It wasn't completely a lie. Dumbledore _would_ want to see her if she was responsible for Hermione's recent attacks.

Giving him one last stare, McGonagall nodded. "Very well, Mister Malfoy, if _Headmaster_ Dumbledore wishes to see her, she may leave."

"Thanks, Professor," Draco muttered before searching the rows and rows of wide eyes for Marchetta, immediately recognising her as she bounced out of her seat, grinning. "Come on," he hissed, wrenching her out of the classroom with him.

Once the door had closed behind them and they were safe from prying eyes and ears, Marchetta turned to face him with a smirk. "Hi, Draco. What's so important that it couldn't wait till lunch?"

In one fluid movement, Draco roughly grabbed her shoulders and pushed her up against the wall, growling. "What do you think you were doing, Grislen? Poisoning Hermione's pumpkin juice? Failing all her classes? Sending her Howlers?"

Marchetta's syrupy tone was immediately abandoned once she realised that he hadn't just lied to a professor to rendezvous with her. Her blue eyes flashed under their lashes. Her voice was deathly quiet when she murmured softly, "I did it for you, Draco. I did it all for you. I didn't want her disgusting blood to taint yours. You're too pure, too handsome, too rich. You deserve someone more worthy of your presence. Someone like me - "

"Shut up!" Draco roared. His face inched closer to hers, his eyes glaring daggers into her own. "Don't you ever talk about my girlfriend like that, Grislen."

Suddenly, Marchetta burst out in wracked sobs, her form going limp in his iron grip. Taken aback, Draco released her, watching with disgust as she slumped down to the floor in a shivering heap.

"It wasn't me, Draco!" she wailed, her eyes trained on the floor. "I - I was forced to do it..! He said he'd d - date me if I did it..!"

Draco turned rigid, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Who forced you to? Who!? ..Answer me, damnit!"

Losing his control, he kicked the stone wall an inch from Marchetta's trembling face. Letting out a yelp, she dived to one side, her hands shaking.

"Tell me who it was, Grislen! Don't make me - "

"I'll tell you!" she cried. "I'll tell you. Just please.. D - don't hurt me..!"

Draco waited patiently, folding his arms to prevent himself from lashing out at the vulnerable girl in front of him who had caused so much pain.

She took several moments to compose herself, gingerly rubbing her hands across her eyes. "It was.. It.. He.."

She let out a hopeless sigh and turned her face to stare up at him.

"Forgive me, Draco. Please? I've always liked you.. And it was the perfect opportunity.. Please.. Forgive me..?"

Draco tried his hardest not to turn his wand on her, his fury manipulating. "Grislen. Tell. Me. Now."

"Zabini made me do it, Draco," she finally uttered, her voice so low he barely heard her. But he had heard enough. "Blaise Zabini made me - Wait, Draco!"

Leaving a shaken Marchetta Grislen behind, Draco raced down the empty corridors towards the Slytherin dungeons, the demon inside him rearing its ugly head for revenge. "I'll deal with you later!" he shouted back at her. His shoes pounded the stone floors as he whizzed by the unsuspecting students that loitered around, deliberately choosing to get in his line of fire.

"Move out of the way!" Draco yelled, his anger rushing past boiling point.

_I warned you, Blaise Zabini… You can't say I didn't... And now, you're going to pay..._

x x x x x x x x x x

Disclaimer: Not mine, and never will be, sadly.

Author's Note: Looks like Zabini better call for back-up! Draco sure is angry. Read on to find out what Zabini's in for! Well, press that little blue button down there to submit a review, folks, I'd really appreciate it! Ttfn, su yin. xx

Author's Note #2: I'm terribly, terribly sorry for the short chapter and the long break in the story. I've been so caught up with school and extra curricular activites and whatever that I completely forgot about this story. I'll be wrapping it up soon, maybe in the next few chapters. Sorry again for the delay in updating!


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